Free The Glacier Gallows by Stephen Legault Page A

House of Commons pass and seated himself in the government lobby. Behind each side of the House of Commons was a sitting area where members from all parties could chat, eat, plot, and be on hand in the event that they were needed in the House. Brian had been talking with several government backbench MP s about the day’s announcement when the aid to the minister found him.
    â€œSure. Where?”
    â€œUpstairs. He’s just finishing up an interview.”
    Five minutes later, Brian was seated on a sprawling leather couch in the minister’s parliamentary office. The room was massive, with high ceilings and a fireplace and ornate wooden bookshelves. Brian felt a little like an errant schoolboy awaiting a scolding. The minister was in an adjoining office, taping an interview with CBC radio. Brian heard the man sign off, and a moment later Canning came through the door.
    Brian stood and shook the proffered hand. The minister forced a smile. “Thanks for seeing me, Brian.”
    â€œThank you, Mr. Minister.”
    â€œDo you want anything? Coffee, a soft drink?”
    â€œNo, thank you.”
    â€œSit, please.” The two men sat across from one another. The minister crossed his legs and straightened the pleat on his suit pants. They were alone in the room. “You didn’t like the announcement.” It was a statement.
    â€œNo, sir.”
    â€œWhy not? You wanted a review of government regulations on alternative energy, and that’s what you got.”
    â€œNuclear energy is not an alternative to oil or gas. And there is no such thing as clean coal.”
    Canning waved his hands in a dismissive gesture. “That’s what the environmentalists all say, Brian. Please don’t tell me you drank the Kool-Aid.”
    â€œIf you were serious about opening up the market to more alternative forms of energy, you wouldn’t have muddied the waters by lumping nuclear and coal into the mix.”
    â€œBrian, do you have any idea what’s at stake right now?”
    â€œI think I—”
    â€œYou have no goddamned idea what’s at stake.” He still spoke calmly, but his tone silenced Brian. Canning gritted his teeth. “No idea. This country has to assert itself on the global stage. We have to take our place as an energy superpower. It’s all we have. All the shit that the environmentalists and other bleeding-heart liberals want won’t happen if we can’t maintain our position as an energy-exporting nation. Without clean coal and nuclear power to drive these systems, that’s not going to happen.”
    â€œThis isn’t about alternatives at all, is it, Minister?”
    â€œWhat are you saying, Brian?”
    â€œThis is about something else. It’s about expanding the tar sands.”
    â€œBrian, please don’t tell me you’ve strayed so far from the fold that you’ll join the radicals at Green Earth as they strangle this country’s economic growth.”
    â€œWhy else would you push for more nuclear?” Brian spoke quietly.
    The minister stood up, and Brian snapped back to reality. “Brian, we want to find a place for alternatives in this country’s energy mix. That’s not going to happen without including all forms of nontraditional energy production. It just won’t happen.”
    Brian stood up. “You want to use nuclear power to fuel tar sands growth. You’ve been sold. So you add nuclear to the list of energies that can be considered alternative, and that way you can skate around your own requirements for renewable-energy standards for federal projects.”
    Canning stared at him. “Let me ask you this, Brian. You were at the reception last night. Did you post the video of my remarks?”
    Brian focused. “I didn’t.”
    â€œWho did? You were the only environmentalist in the room.”
    â€œI don’t know who did. Maybe one of your friends isn’t as friendly