Canadian "Friends of Science" Linking to U.S. Political Campaign

Fri, 2008-08-01 11:37Richard Littlemore
Richard Littlemore's picture

Canadian "Friends of Science" Linking to U.S. Political Campaign

The organizer of a Calgary fundraising event for Republican Senator Sam Brownback has told the Globe and Mail that he also plans to divert some of the income to Friends of Science, a Canadian "not-for-profit" group that is already facing accusations of interfering illegally in the Canadian electoral process.

Friends of Science is a climate change-denial organization primarily funded by Calgary oil and gas interests. Those oily supporters donated money anonymously to the Calgary Foundation, which then passed it along to an "educational project" being run by University of Calgary Professor (and Prime Minister Stephen Harper fishing buddy) Barry Cooper. Cooper then sluiced the cash along to Friends of Science - or paid FOS bills - while the Friends used the money to create and distribute doubter videos and to fund a highly political climate change advertising campaign swing ridings during the last election. Elections Canada is investigating.

In this instance, the Friends have again tied themselves closely to a political party - the U.S. Republicans, who are planning to bring Kansas Senator Brownback to Calgary to raise money. According to organizer Norman Leach, executive director of the Western Canadian division of the American Chamber of Commerce, any funds raised from Canadian-resident U.S. citizens (or from Canadian green card holders who are entitled to vote in the U.S. election) will go to Brownback. But U.S. electoral rules prevent Canadians from interfering directly in the U.S. electoral process, so funds raised from Canadians will be given to the Friends (which, given its track record, can then spend the income on "educational" efforts in tight U.S. districts before or during the upcoming election).

Tags: 
calgary foundation
globe and mail
Friends of Science
university of calgary
barry cooper
Senator Sam Brownback

Comments

Fri, 2008-08-01 17:16 — Dave Clarke

... or they could use it in the next Canadian election, for "promotion" of the second edition of the Climate Catstrophe Cancelled video.

By the way, starting in late 2005, $200,000 did go through the Science Education Fund to support the targeted radio ad campaign during the last election, as well as the Fleishman-Hillard lobbying campaign in 2006.

But another $300,000 came from other sources before the SEF was set up. $170,000 of that went to APCO Worldwide, according to the University of Calgary audit of Cooper's research fund.

It was even worse than originally thought ...

Fri, 2008-08-01 21:40 — wilbert Robichaud

James Hoggan and Associates, is positioned as a feel-good local operation with clients in all the "right" public and private sectors. He also sits on the board of the David Suzuki Foundation.

One of his side efforts is a blog operated out of Hoggan and Associates. Funded by retired Internet bubble king John Lefebvre, the blog " Desmofblog" has one full-time and three part-time staff. They spend their time tracking down and maliciously attacking all who have doubts about climate change and painting them as corporate pawns.

There has been no mention on the blog of James Hoggan's client list. They include or have included the National Hydrogen Association, Fuel Cells Canada, hydrogen producer QuestAir, Naikun Wind Energy and Ballard Fuel Cells. Mr. Hoggan, in other words, benefits from regulatory policy based on climate change science.

But it is as a climate commentator that Mr. Hoggan gets carried away. On The Denial Machine, Mr. Hoggan is allowed to go on at some length about how climate skeptics are not true scientists, are not qualified, or have no expertise.

That takes some gall. Here's a totally unqualified small-town PR guy making disparaging comments about scientists he says are unqualified while he lectures the rest of us on the science.

See you Next election I guess.

Sat, 2008-08-02 04:28 — Frank Bi

The Alarmists Are Just As Bad... The Alarmists Are Just As Bad... The Alarmists Are Just As Bad... The Alarmists Are Just As Bad... Om... Om... Om...

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http://frankbi.wordpress.com/ International Journal of Inactivism
"Al `Fat Al' Gore [is fat]" -- Harold Pierce

Sat, 2008-08-02 11:29 — Dave Clarke

James Hoggan would be the first to admit that he is not be an expert in climatology, but he is certainly a PR expert. As such, he was the first to expose the role of PR/lobbying consultants Tom Harris (APCO Worldwide, NRSP) and Morten Paulsen (Fleishman-Hillard) in the climate change disinformation activities of the Friends of Science and other Canadian groups.

As noted at sourcewatch.org:
Hoggan's efforts at Desmogblog.com were recognized when he received a 2007 Communications Leadership Award from the BC Chapter of the CPRS [the Canadian Public Relations Society]. The award "recognizes communications professionals demonstrating the highest ethical and professional standards while performing outstanding work."

See:
http://www.cprsvancouver.com/professional_development/awards.htm
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Friends_of_Science#Lobbyists_Morten_Paulsen_and_Bryan_Thomas

Sat, 2008-08-02 14:19 — JMD

What must the rest of the entries been like in 2007 if Hoggan PR won for this cheesy web site?

Sat, 2008-08-02 14:34 — Tom

Go away.

Sat, 2008-08-02 15:47 — MDJ

This is all JMD has.

Sat, 2008-08-02 04:33 — Frank Bi

"But U.S. electoral rules prevent Canadians from interfering directly in the U.S. electoral process"

Rules are only for the weak. We're in a war, Littlemore. A war against Islamofascists, against UN bureaucrats, and against the Phantom Soviet Empire. When Freedom is at war, all rules can be broken. Including Freedom itself.

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http://frankbi.wordpress.com/ International Journal of Inactivism
"Al `Fat Al' Gore [is fat]" -- Harold Pierce

Sun, 2008-08-03 11:07 — Frank Bi

The "Friends of Science" fundraising schtick may not be legal, but this petition quite definitely is legal:

http://frankbi.wordpress.com/the-sue-us-petition/

So, please sign the petition! :)

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http://frankbi.wordpress.com/ International Journal of Inactivism
"Al `Fat Al' Gore [is fat]" -- Harold Pierce

[x]
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