Less than a week after ‘disinviting’ Alberta Premier Danielle Smith from speaking, an Ottawa House committee on resources convened on Monday with Suncor CEO Rich Kruger in the hot seat.This, despite the fact the committee — which is chaired by Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal — had told Smith the meeting, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was reconvened for Monday.He should have stayed home.Kruger was blitzed from all sides, being accused of everything from causing last summer’s forest fires to being a 'lousy manager’ to 'eco washing’ the company’s commitments to reducing the company’s carbon footprint by 2050.Kruger had been called in front of the committee to answer to comments he made earlier this summer that the largest oil sands producer in Canada — and the world — was refocusing the company’s efforts on its core business of producing oil.At one point, an exasperated Kruger rhetorically asked if anyone had actually heard him say them within the broader context of its emissions reduction efforts. “I continue to stand by those comments,” he said, but disputed the interpretation from several panel members that Suncor is putting profits over people — and politics. Suncor remains committed to decarbonizing its fundamental, main business," he said.In one particularly testy exchange, NDP MP Charlie Angus accused him being aware of “catastrophic” consequences due to burning fossil fuels during his tenures as CEO of Imperial Oil and even as vice-president of ExxonMobil.He asked if Kruger agreed last summer’s fires were “catastrophic.” Kruger said he agreed they were “tragic… I think you’re picking words,” he said.Edmonton-Strathcona NDP Heather McPherson all but accused him of “frying the planet” while Bloc MP Mario Simard accused him of “eco washing” and being a ”lousy manager” for not knowing the exact impact of clean fuel standards.“As for being a lousy manager? I’ll leave that for others to decide,” Kruger said.McPherson wanted to know what percentage of Suncor shareholders are Canadian. Kruger replied “a vast majority.”She pressed on a number, until he shrugged: “51%”“You call that a vast majority?” She quipped. To which Kruger responded, “yes… in any other jurisdiction it is.”In fact, Suncor has foreign ownership limits by virtue of its takeover of Petro-Canada in 2009 which limits the maximum number of voting shares allowed to be owned by any organization or entity to 20%.Chahal, who gloated over Smith’s ‘disinvitation’ on Twitter (“X”) last week, seemed pleased with the proceedings.The meetings continue all this afternoon.
