Is he missing the point? Rex Muphy’s oil sands speeches defended
rbarnes
Posted On February 26, 2014
The Huffington Post Alberta
Rex Murphy just doesn’t get it.
That’s how iPolitics columnist Andrew Mitrovica sees the CBC pundit’s self-defense amid a controversy over his support of the oilsands.
Mitrovica has been vocal in his criticism of Murphy’s pro-oilsands comments to an industry-funded business conference last November, and the CBC’s lack of disclosure around his speaking engagements.
In a National Post column, Murphy defends the talk he gave to the Bennett Jones Lake Louise World Cup Business Forum, in which he praised the oilsands and openly mocked industry critics such as Greenpeace and Canadian rocker Neil Young.
In explaining his comments, Murphy says that Young’s comparison of the oilsands to Hiroshima had not been made at the time (it had, actually) and that he was trying to tell the industry that it should do a better job promoting its benefits.
He attributes criticism of his words to “some bloggers” and says that no one instructed him to say them.
