More questions surrounding oil and gas critic report

A commission struck by the Alberta Government to expose funding into oil and gas critics risks alienating the government, the province and the oil and gas sector even further.

CALGARY (CityNews) – Delays, a ballooning budget, and more procedural questions about the inquiry than answers.

A commission struck by the Government of Alberta to expose funding into oil and gas critics risks alienating the government, the province and the oil and gas sector even further, according to one political scientist.

“It’s going to be fairly difficult to find a way out that doesn’t really admit that the whole inquiry was poorly constructed in the first instance,” said Lisa Young with the University of Calgary.

The Allan Inquiry launched in July 2019 and Young said the repeated delays with the final report could be the result of the commission having been set up to find something that doesn’t exist in the way the government hoped to be able to show.

“If the purpose of this commission is to look into the activities of a set of organizations and the commission chooses not to speak to those organizations then not only will the report have very little credibility but there’s also a question of legal challenges to the report itself.”

RELATED: Environmental law group seeks to stop inquiry into who funds oil critics

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and his United Conservative government contend foreign interest has long been bankrolling campaigns against fossil fuel development in the province.

Allan’s report was initially due last July but was given two extensions and a $1 million budget increase

With $3.5 million already invested the government will need something to show it wasn’t a waste of taxpayer money, even at the risk of further alienating a large, growing group of Albertans and Canadians.

“If there’s a strategy in play to build bridges to younger voters who are concerned about the environment and climate,” said Young. “I’m at a loss to identify them.”

Young added that when the final report is tabled, the oil and gas sector will likely be able to distance itself from it if it falls flat.

“There’s a much greater sophistication in messaging and in understating around the issues that are facing the industry than we necessarily see from the government’s war room or the Allan Inquiry.”

-With files from The Canadian Press

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