text: Shipboard - The oil industry is in fact necessary to our national economy. And this is not as you suggest about the greed of a small handful of people. The oil industry impacts on almost every Canadian. I realize that the same can be said about the environment. And of course, Pipelines are the most environmentally safe means for transporting oil over any large distance. However, if you refuse to accept the premise that the oil industry is an imperative and significant aspect of or economy, then you are too naïve to even participate in the discussion.