A British newspaper has taken aim at Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach. The article accused Stelmach of political opportunism after the premier made a trip to the U.S. to promote Alberta's oilsands.
This comes after the United States is dealing with an oil disaster off the shores of Louisiana.
The article in the Guardian newspaper says Stelmach used his trip to Washington last week to "happily capitalize" on the Deepwater Horizon situation.
It goes on to say, "The Gulf of Mexico disaster could trigger a wider environmental catastrophe if the U.S.'s search for new petrol sources points it back in the direction of Alberta."
Alberta Liberal Leader David Swann says he's not surprised the premier is getting scrutinized in the international media.
"A disaster anywhere doesn't change the reality that we're faced with here in Alberta. But we have a reputation that understandably has been fostered by government that hasn't done its job in terms of setting standards and giving the message to the world that we are on top of this."
The article also accused the Obama administration of being ambivalent about Canadian oil.
Stelmach calls the claims "ridiculous and most unfortunate."
Stelmach said the reason behind his trip to Washington was to ensure U.S. lawmakers have a "full and accurate understanding of oil sands development."
He says the article is flawed. He believes the article is an example of bad journalism when the author did not call provincial officials for a response.
"We certainly did not take an opportunity at all to compare. There is no such thing as good oil or bad oil. There are risks in any development," said Stelmach.
With files from Serena Mah
