'A Government Of Thugs': How Canada Treats Environmental Journalists | ThinkProgress
'A Government Of Thugs': How Canada Treats Environmental Journalists | ThinkProgress
A Government Of Thugs’: How Canada Treats Environmental Journalists
I attempted to enter Canada on a Tuesday, flying into the small
airport at Fort McMurray, Alberta, waiting for my turn to pass through
customs.
“What brings you to Fort Mac?” a Canada Border Services Agency
official asked. “I’m a journalist,” I said. “I’m here to see the tar
sands.” He pointed me to border security. Another official, a tall,
clean-shaven man, asked the same question. “I’m here to see the tar
sands.” he frowned. “You mean oil sands. We don’t have tar here.”
Up until the 1960s, the common name for Canada’s massive reserves of
heavy bitumen mixed with sand was “tar sands.” Now, the phrase is officially considered
a colloquialism, with “oil sands” being the accurate name, according to
the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. But “tar sands” is not
really an informal phrase in Canada as much as it is a symbol of your
views. If you say tar sands, you’re an environmentalist. If you say tar
sands, you’re the enemy.
“We might have to send you back to the States,” the official said,
after asking if I had working papers. I didn’t, so I phoned a colleague
staying at a nearby hotel. “This guy at border security says I need
working papers or something and that he’s gonna send me back to the
States,” I said.
“Why did you say I was going to send you back to the States? I didn’t
say that,” the official said after I hung up. “See, you’re already
misrepresenting what’s going on here.”
My interrogation included details about where I was going, who I was
meeting with, why I wanted to see the sands. The official had me open my
bag so he could see if I was carrying cameras. Then he let me into
Canada. “Because I’m being nice,” he said, and gave me a certificate
stating that I must leave the country by Friday.
