Ethical Oil debuts at #4 on Amazon.ca non-fiction best-seller list!

Today Ethical Oil went on sale at bookstores across the country. And by the afternoon, it had hit #4 on Amazon.ca's non-fiction best-seller list. That list is constantly updated, so it will jump up and down a bit, but it's still pretty exciting to do so well so quickly, before any book reviews have even come out.

You can buy the book online at Amazon or Chapters.

I've done a whack of interviews now, and I think people find the thesis interesting, and even surprising. Mainly, it's because I'm known as a political conservative, and this isn't a conservative book -- in fact, it could be called liberal or progressive.

For example, I note that global warming is a scientific theory that is not universally accepted, but I do not spend any time challenging that theory. The opposite: I make the case to liberals that if they believe global warming is an issue, then oilsands oil is superior to other sources of oil, such as California or Venezuela, which both have heavy oil that requires a lot of energy to refine. I also show that in a full life-cycle analysis -- for example, taking into account things like the tankers to ship OPEC oil to the U.S. -- oilsands oil is comparable in greenhouse gas emissions to most other oil in the world.

That's the thing: to get support for Canadian oil, I'm not challenging the left's values. I'm counting on their values. Because I know that Canada's oilsands best meets the test of those values -- environmentally sustainable, peaceful, economically just and respectful of minorities. I try to prove that in the book, and even try to quantify some of those measurements.

Anyways, here are a few TV clips that I did today:

Here's BNN clip 1 and clip 2, wherein I debate a foreign Greenpeace lobbyist.

Here's CBC Newsworld (fast forward to 1:22:30). When I'm done talking about the book, I talk a bit about Peg Atwood.

Tomorrow's going to be a great day too, when I'll be debating Greenpeace journalist Andrew Nikiforuk on CBC Radio's show Q, moderated by Jian Ghomeshi, and then taping a segment on CBC's "Day 6". Then it's off to Winnipeg for events on Thursday.

I've had a great response to my invitation for people to suggest book events in their town. I will be in a position to update my tour schedule shortly, with new visits to Victoria, Halifax, St. John's, Fort McMurray and Montreal planned. Until then, here's the confirmed schedule of public events so far:

Thursday, September 16, Winnipeg

7 p.m. Indigo Kenaston Common. Details here.

Friday, September 17, Saskatoon

12 noon McNally Robinson, Details here.

Tuesday, September 21, Toronto

11:45 a.m. Economic Club of Canada, Marriott Toronto Eaton Centre, Details here.

Tuesday, September 21, Calgary

7 p.m. Indigo Signal Hill, Details here.

Thursday, September 23, Edmonton

7 p.m. Indigo South Edmonton, Details here.

Friday, September 24, Vancouver

11:45 a.m. Vancouver Club, Details here.

Tuesday, October 19, Edmonton

12 noon Edmonton Lit Fest, (debate with Satya Das), City Centre Mall. Details here.

Wednesday, October 20, Calgary

5:30 p.m. Calgary Enterprise Forum panel, Calgary Petroleum Club. Details to come.

Saturday, October 23, Ottawa

4 p.m. Ottawa Writers Festival. Details to come.

Saturday, October 30, Ottawa

7 p.m. Crowne Plaza Hotel, tribute dinner with Mark Steyn (non-book tour event). Details here.

Sunday, November 7, Calgary

11 a.m. Pages at the Plaza, The Plaza Theatre (debate with Andrew Nikiforuk). Details here.

Saturday, November 13, Ottawa

Free Thinking Festival. Details to come.