Oil lobbyist in Harper government like "fox in charge of henhouse," environmentalist says

"It's like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse," said Dogwood Initiative director Will Horter about Harper's former senior policy advisor Bruce Carson, who is currently under an RCMP investigation for influence-peddling. Carson was chosen by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to attend several high-profile international meetings on environment and climate change, despite the fact that he was also a senior advisor for CAPP, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. 

"Carson is the point guy for tar sands and entrenching support Alberta's tar sands," Horter said, noting that it's interesting how "he's been tasked with finally moving forward with an energy policy. His fingerprints are all over (Canada's) energy policy." 

John Duncan, who is Conservative MP for Vancouver Island North and also Minister of Indian Affairs, is apparently linked to Carson's RCMP investigation for influence-peddling. Aboriginal Peoples' Television Network broke a story earlier this month on Carson's efforts to lobby Duncan's office for a business deal. Carson was working with an Ottawa-based water company H-20 Pros to try to sell water filtration systems to First Nations reserves.