Albertans are mad as hell and won't take it any longer – at least that's the message to the rest of the country. But is that enough to succeed?
In the end, this week’s election outcome in Alberta seems like it was preordained. No, Jason Kenney was wrong when he asserted early in his tenure as leader of the United Conservative Party that the NDP was an “accidental government.” The decision by voters nearly four years ago to hand power to an unlikely suitor…
Canada’s energy wealth risks being stranded while the U.S. boosts its position as a global oil supplier
By Jock Finlayson and Denise Mullen Business Council of B.C. Canada has long depended on a single market for its exports of energy. This over-reliance on one customer, the United States, carries significant risks. That became evident in recent years as the U.S. ramped up its production of oil, natural gas and other energy products…
It is possible to mediate between identity politics and old school democracy
For the past few weeks, the Canadian public – and increasingly the world – have witnessed the quintessential Canadian scandal. So far, no one has proven any law has been broken, no one has been physically injured, and the core issue is whether 9,000 (or 3,500 or 6,000 or any) jobs are at risk because…
With Gerald Butts and others at the epicentre of power, it’s no wonder the oil industry has plummeted into purgatory
Canadians watch Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election comfortable in the belief that such foreign interference couldn’t happen here. Except it did happen here. And while the Russians adamantly deny interference in American political affairs, the perpetrators of interference in the 2015 Canadian federal election not only devised and…
Why can't we just say what we mean and leave off the attention-seeking hyperbole?
The pressing need to create an existential crisis on every topic has gripped both our media outlets and social media sites. Serious words have been stripped of all meaning. It’s impossible to have a practical discussion on any topic on social media. Some outlets, in an effort to be heard and seen above the cacophony,…
Oil and gas contributed some $117 billion to Canada’s GDP last year, six times the economic contribution of the Ontario auto industry
What was Canada’s biggest business news story of 2018? According to the pundits at The Canadian Press, it wasn’t the giveaway of Canadian oil to Americans for tens of billions of dollars below world prices, caused by a lack of pipelines from Alberta. It wasn’t the loss of tens of billions more in oil and…
If the rest of Canada won’t listen to other forms of conversation about the importance of the energy sector, how about a song?
Things have devolved into such a state of ridiculous zaniness on Canada's energy scape that perhaps it's time to express our travails through that time-proven panacea for all forms of hurt: the country and western song. Such songs can timelessly and eloquently express a range of sentiments and emotions. They’re anthems to spirit, grittiness and…
For far too many people, life is losing its lustre. Here's a systemic remedy that will take us into a new era of prosperity
Day by day, the storm signals are more evident. Let’s start with Peak America. It’s no longer the world’s top economy (China’s gross domestic product is $22 trillion compared to America’s $19 trillion), suffers under bitterly tribalized politics and is led by an oligarch with a growing list of symptoms of aged maladies. Are would-be…
It’s time to send a clear message to the United States and OPEC that Canada is in charge of its own destiny
You know things are bad when private-sector companies like Cenovus Energy are begging NDP Premier Rachel Notely to use the powers of government to curtail oil production in Alberta. But the gruesome truth is, at US$14 per barrel, Western Canadian Select (WCS) is essentially a giveaway. This is bad for business (with the exception of…
The delay of Keystone XL, likely by at least a year, is another blow to Canada and a particularly sharp blow to Alberta
Progressives (and some conservatives) have largely stymied President Donald Trump on getting his wall across the U.S. southern border built. Ironically, those same progressives have given the president another wall – encompassing Canada and thwarting oil exports to countries other than the United States. The latest slab in the wall is a ruling by a…
In the end, this week’s election outcome in Alberta seems like it was preordained. No, Jason Kenney was wrong when he asserted early in his tenure as leader of the United Conservative Party that the NDP was an “accidental government.” The decision by voters nearly four years ago to hand power to an unlikely suitor…
