Among critics of the 'Ethical Oil' point of view is Andrew Nikiforuk, author of Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent (Greystone Books, 2008, ), who referred to Levant's reasoning as "a classic Republican ruse", and dismissed Minister of the Environment Peter Kent's argument as an "infomercial on bitumen". In The Guardian, Leo Hickman points out that China is a major investor in the Canadian oil sands, and asks "Shouldn't this now mean that Canada's tar sands are labelled as 'Conflict Oil', too?" Another opponent, Megan Leslie, the environment critic for the Official Opposition's New Democratic Party, said the debate surrounding the ethics of Canadian oil sands "misses the point" and maintained that "Canada should be working to move beyond fossil fuels toward renewable sources of energy".
