An article on The Globe’s front page carrying the headline “Canada can meet its climate goals, but the West will write the cheques” raises, among many others, two very interesting points. The article is about a study, conducted by two ardent environmental advocacy groups – the Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation – and was sponsored by the Toronto Dominion Bank.
The headline has the virtue of capturing the first point I want to underline. In our new green-genuflecting age any substantial, purely Canadian effort to curb greenhouse gases – any policy, economic or otherwise – will have a massive and negative impact on Alberta and Saskatchewan.
If there are taxes on oil development, if we introduce carbon penalties on industry, if there is a deliberate brake put on the oil sands, or an effort to shut them down altogether – this latter not an unthinkable proposition in certain quarters – whatever is done will, sooner or later, take revenues and jobs, take enterprise, out of Alberta in particular. For purely projected and speculative benefits to the world’s climate a century hence – and, despite the unctuous insistence of many to the contrary, speculative they remain – people are seriously considering policies that will penalize the West for its success as an energy producer now.
This is reckless. The oil industry of some Western provinces has been Canada’s dynamo these past few years. It has been our major shield during this recession. It has given the dignity of jobs to tens of thousands of Canadians. It is all that. But if “Central” Canada, as the political and economic axis of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal is still known in some quarters out West, now – under the impetus of the green craze – is seen to be setting limits, placing penalties, or bleeding disproportionate taxes, particularly in Alberta’s case, it will churn a backlash that will make regional hostilities set loose by the national energy program a few decades ago seem like warm-ups for a yoga class.
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You don’t mess in our back yard and we won’t mess in yours.
It’s interesting to note that Donolo and Clark of NEP 1 have reentered the stage in virtually the same week. The ‘ghosts of lib gov’ts past.’ Happy Hallowe’en everyone. Conservatives having to do ghostbusting in real time. A very fun project as you all respond. The Libs main misstake is the sheer gaul of nepotism. New blood would be helpful. Otherwise, it amounts to them floating the sponsorship scandal ghosts in Canadians’ face and trying our patience to the max.
However, their accumulated mistakes should get our standing gov’t up to eighty percent support whenever the election comes. My theory is we aim and achieve a LARGE win. Call it competition and a good thing. We may continue to read the unofficial polls where Tory policies regularly get between 70 and 80 percent support.
We have more than a ghost of a good chance, imo.
They keep pushing for the extreme edge , thinking if they try something not as extreme it won’t look as bad and Alberta and Saskathchewan will be ever so grateful they’ll settle for the lesser extreme , because ( stop me if you’ve heard this ) ” it could have been worse , but look what we got you instead “ . If they push too hard Ontario might be western Canada .
The Wildrose Alliance Party needs to issue an unequivocal statement that AGW is a false premise and when in government they will not participate in any Carbon Tax or Cap and Trade. Period. The will focus their environmental efforts on real issues such as groundwater polution.
Re: #2 — “The ‘ghosts of lib gov’ts past.’”
Anna, you have me grinning from ear to ear with your entry. Thank you and have a great day.
It is estimated that Canada contributes how much to this so-called global warming, 2%?
Anna got me with that one too!
ward, it doesn’t appear many politicians are prepared to take such a bold stance since to do so would provoke merciless attacks from the acolytes of the Climate Change Cult.
Glad it made everybody laugh! Think of the ghost-busting jingle there and why should our past nightmares of the virtual living dead liberals challenge the good programs, eh?
Canada, now sorta the envy of the world due to the astute gov’t we’ve enjoyed, is being targeted for that 2 percent. You know what they say people, you sit out simply abide envy. Do you think they’re that inept on purpose?? One wonders.
As a 2% contributor, and diminishing, of global CO2, Canada is in the perfect position to resist the hysteria and look at the science in a dispassionate, unbiased way. Even if it turns out we’re wrong, at 2% that mistake is virtually negligible.
Just let them try it. The West won’t roll over and just let it happen like NEP I.
It will not happen again.
But…but…it’s just a teensy, itsty, bitsy amount of pain and besides, we neeeeeeed your money for all the wonderful things we can do with your money, just think of it, universal daycare, early learning, diversity training, green jobs, everybody is going to get rich in the new green economy……. Well, you don’t have to be so geedy about all that wealth, besides you’re just giving it away for free to those American oil companies, anyway. So, we’ll take it, just sit in the corner and when you’ve learned how to share , we’ll let you sit at the table with the grownups.