Oil's Deep State

"Kevin Taft's powerful book, Oil's Deep State is compelling because it is drawn from his personal experience as a politician. In order to understand why governments at the federal and provincial levels have been so reticent in taking action to get us off fossil fuels, we must see that money has undermined democracy. There is no place for ethics or morality when the sole drive of corporations is to make money, the more and faster, the better, and that means getting rid of all obstacles to unbridled growth, even if the future of generations to come is in jeopardy. Unless corporations are reined in, environmental destruction and climate change are certain to happen. Read this book, get mad, then take action to restore democracy." ~David Suzuki

"Taft delivers a gripping read for anyone who wonders why, despite a broad consensus for ambitious action in the face of the climate crisis, our country is hurtling in the wrong direction." ~Avi Lewis, journalist and filmmaker

"Taft's book is a must for voting-age Canadians who smugly believe that the political idiocy unfolding in the USA can't happen in Canada." ~David Schindler, environmental scientist

"Kevin Taft, the ultimate insider / outsider, deftly peels back the cover over what Big Oil doesn't want you to see." ~Gordon Laxer, author and director of Parkland Institute

". . . a must read for anyone who wants to save democracy and the planet at the same time." ~Gillian Steward, Toronto Star columnist

"Taft offers a full-throated denunciation of the politicians in both countries who align themselves with energy companies and appear to do their bidding on climate-change policy. Such secretive collaboration, he writes, has led to the embedding of "oil's deep state" in the key institutions of democracy in Alberta, but also in Ottawa and in Washington." ~Shawn McCarthy, The Globe and Mail

"It's a challenging and insightful read, one that will likely spark many debates about how we talk and think about the oil and gas sector." ~James Wilt, DeSmog Canada

"Taft meticulously details the impact powerful forces from the oil industry had over Alberta during the long-reign of the old Progressive Conservative government and the influence it still exerts over Rachel Notleys New Democratic Party government in the never-ending debate over oil pipelines." ~Dave Cournoyer, Daveberta

"Kevin Taft brings a fresh perspective through the insight he gained as an elected politician who had an insider’s eyewitness view of the role of the oil industry in Alberta." ~Maria Alejandra, Ottawa Life Magazine

“It really inspires a different kind of conversation about the future of oil, about how we manage our land, about government.” ~Rosemary Griebel, CBC Alberta

"Deep states cement their power in darkness, Taft writes; shine a light and they recoil. Exposing how the sector undermines the environment to further corporate greed, he notes, can restore public faith that energy regulators and governments work for us—not big oil." ~Andrew Reeves, This Magazine