'I apologize': David Suzuki says he was wrong to warn that pipelines will be blown up
Environmentalist and TV host David Suzuki apologized Thursday for comments he made about exploding pipelines.
On Saturday, while participating in a protest in Victoria, Suzuki told CHEK News that, “There are going to be pipelines blowing up if our leaders don’t pay attention to what’s going on.”
After criticism, including from the premier of Alberta, Suzuki attempted to clarify that his statements were not an indication of support for violence or destruction but simply a prediction.
On Thursday morning his foundation issued a statement containing a public apology.
“The remarks I made were poorly chosen and I should not have said them. Any suggestion that violence is inevitable is wrong and will not lead us to a desperately-needed solution to the climate crisis. My words were spoken out of extreme frustration and I apologize," the statement said.
It added that Suzuki's words were "born out of many years of watching government inaction while the climate crisis continues to get worse."
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney demanded a retraction and an apology on Tuesday, and he said most other public figures would be "cancelled" for saying such things.
"It's absolutely an implicit, or winking, incitement to violence," Kenney alleged during a news conference.
"It's like in the gangster movies, where they say you know, 'Nice little pipeline you've got there, it'd be a terrible thing if something happened to it.'"
The Alberta NDP also condemned Suzuki's comments, but Extinction Rebellion, one of the groups at the Victoria rally, defended him.
"We don’t believe he was inciting violence. He was simply making a sociological prediction that if governments fail to act, then people will get desperate and they will start blowing up pipelines," said Zain Haq with Extinction Rebellion Canada.
"It's very clear that people are getting more desperate and there are clear plans of escalation, although they are non violent."
CTV News Edmonton requested an interview with Suzuki through his foundation, but he was not made available.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.