The radical environmental movement as well as left-wing Canadian political parties, most notably the Alberta NDP, are telling the BIG LIE about our energy industry and the global environment. Unfortunately, more and more Canadians and even some fellow Albertans are buying into this lie.
Canadians certainly rely heavily on fossil fuels, but that is largely because of the vast size of our country and harsh climate we must cope with. There are only 35 million people in Canada, which represents less than one per cent of the planet’s total population of 7.3 billion. Our country covers roughly 10-million-square-kilometres of which 90 per cent is essentially uninhabitable. We endure temperatures ranging from -40 C to 35 C; therefore, out of necessity, we need to heat our homes for at least six months of the year. Further, we face major transportation challenges because our population is widely dispersed across half a continent. In spite of all this, Canada is responsible for only two to three per cent of the greenhouse gases generated globally and Alberta’s share is even more miniscule. Obviously, we are not the problem! That is the big lie. If we in Alberta were to voluntarily sacrifice our economic future and give up on the energy industry, the positive effect on the global environment would be negligible, as other producers would quickly move to take our market share. In fact, the global effect would probably be negative because we are one of the most ethical and environmentally-responsible producers of energy in the world.
So, why does the left in Canada attack the energy industry? Is it to save “Mother Earth” or is there some other motive? What drives these zealots to advocate so loudly and strenuously against the energy industry which for the past few decades has been the engine of growth in the Canadian economy?
To explain, it goes back to the goal of socialism, which is to “restrict private enterprise and control the economy.” Years ago in this country, the socialists lost the debate over big government and income redistribution. As a strategic decision, and in a desperate effort to remain relevant, the left moved to embrace the environmental movement … “vote for us and we’ll save the planet.” Once put in charge of government (as the example of the NDP in Alberta illustrates) they have moved to raise taxes, establish regulations, restrict private enterprise and create huge bureaucracies. In other words, they have been able to achieve their goals in an indirect fashion, thru the back door.
If those in the left were really that concerned about our planet, why are they not protesting against the real polluters, those nations that are responsible for producing most of the greenhouse gases? China is the world’s largest polluter (plus it has an atrocious human rights record). Little criticism is levelled by the left against the Chinese. What about the other major polluters such as the United States, Japan, the EU and Russia? Once again, the left is largely silent. In fact, the left does not even challenge the exaggerated claims of American environmentalists and Hollywood celebrities that “dirty oil” from Alberta is “destroying the planet.”
If we continue down the path dictated by our left wing politicians, the standard of living in Alberta will continue to decline. Our grandchildren will be in classes that have a 50:1 student-teacher ratio; the infrastructure of our cities will fall into disrepair; we will become increasingly irrelevant in national politics as our population declines. Albertans must come together and take back government from those politicians who put their radical ideology ahead of the interests of all the hard-working people in our great province.
Owen Neal, Alberta Can’t Wait Banff-Cochrane Chapter
