Outside the forum, protesters called Cheney a war criminal over his role in the invasion of Iraq. “It is a shame he is here,” said demonstrator James Campbell. “Canada is aiding and abetting all of Dick Cheney’s crimes by letting him speak here.”

The 46th U.S. vice president started his speech on the revolution of energy policies that have “come about in spite of government,” thanks to the private sector using new technologies such as fracking or extracting natural gas from shale.

“Our directional drilling and our fracking, somewhat controversial practices, although they shouldn’t be . . . has opened up new resources to us in the oil and gas area, it is fundamentally transforming our economy and reducing what has historically been one of our major security concerns,” Cheney said.

“The problem at present is the current administration spends a lot of time trying to cap any use of fossil fuels,” he added. “The war on coal is what we call it.”

Cheney was arguably one of the most influential U.S. vice presidents. He is widely known for having profound influence on matters of U.S. national security and for spearheading the invasion of Iraq, of loosening limits on the coercion of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and of erasing environmental protections. He also inadvertently shot one of his hunting companions in the face seven years ago in Texas.

Cheney spent most of his speech on Thursday discussing national security threats.

“I’m going to put back on my Darth Vader mask that I used to be accused of wearing when I was vice president because of my concern about terrorism and the possible use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists. I used to believe that was a major threat. I still believe it is a major threat today and, if anything, it is worse today than it was on 9/11,” he said.

Al Qaeda and “their fellow travellers” have reasserted or re-energized, he warned. He pointed to increased violence in Iraq and the terrorist threats in North Africa. “The problem is growing in terms of the numbers, the size and diversity of, if you will, what we have all deemed fundamental Islamist terrorists,” he said.

Concerning Afghanistan, the U.S. supported fighters in the 1980s, but that stopped and the Taliban came to power. Then the U.S. was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, he said. “What do we think will happen when we turn our backs on Afghanistan again? Yet that is exactly what we are doing,” he said. “The bottom line is the threat of terrorism is increasing . . . the problem of the proliferation of nuclear weapons is probably greater than it has ever been.”

Turning to domestic politics, Cheney said even though the Republicans lost the last two federal elections, he was not ready to write off his party or its Tea Party factions. “I am reluctant to let the critics define us,” he said.

Dick Cheney In Toronto: Obama 'Tar Sands' Policy 'Totally Foolish'

From The Huffington Post Canada | Original Article

He got through his Toronto trip without getting arrested for torture, but not without tossing a few barbs Obama’s way over the Keystone XL pipeline.

Appearing at the Toronto Global Forum on Thursday, former Vice President Dick Cheney said the Obama administration’s reluctance to approve Keystone is “totally foolish policy,” and “there is no reason in the world we shouldn’t build that pipeline,” the Toronto Star reports.

Cheney accused Obama of waging “war” on coal and other fossil fuel industries, and said the president is trying to pick winners in the renewable energy field by way of subsidies, the Globe and Mail reported.

Interestingly, Cheney repeatedly referred to Alberta's bitumen deposits as the "tar sands," the National Post noted -- a term that is widely accepted in the U.S., but in Canada connotes opposition to the industry.

The former vice-president even took a few jabs at the public’s negative image of himself. Switching from energy policy to security issues, Cheney quipped, “I’m going to put back on my Darth Vader helmet.”

But that wasn’t a joke to the protesters outside the forum, who called on the police security presence to “do your duty” and arrest Cheney for violations of the United Nations Convention Against Torture, to which Canada is a signatory.

“It is a shame he is here,” demonstrator James Campbell told the Star. “Canada is aiding and abetting all of Dick Cheney’s crimes by letting him speak here.”

A group of activist lawyers earlier this week sent a letter to Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, Ontario Attorney General John Gerretsen and Prime Minister Stephen Harper urging Cheney’s arrest under the UN torture convention or under Canadian laws against torture.

“Evidence of Dick Cheney’s complicity in the widespread use of torture by the United States is well documented and widely available and Dick Cheney has publicly admitted to authorizing the use of torture,” the letter stated.

Much of the rest of Cheney’s appearance was devoted to the sort of harsh partisan political rhetoric for which he has come to be known.

Cheney said the threat from Al Qaeda is greater than ever, with evidence of new activity along the Iraq-Syria border.

He urged the U.S. and its allies to maintain its presence in Afghanistan, noting that, when the U.S. abandoned the country in the 1980s, the Taliban rose to power and gave Al Qaeda a safe haven.

“What do we think will happen when we turn our backs on Afghanistan again? Yet that is exactly what we are doing,” he said.

On the gridlock in Washington, Cheney blamed it all on Obama. He said Republicans shouldn’t compromise with Obama because the president’s policies are “fundamentally at odds” with American values.