Why should we allow others to drill and then export our oil for a pittance of royalties? There are extreme ecological costs to oil extraction and pipeline or other form of transport. But if we are going to see our oil pumped out of the ground, we should get the best return we can on our resources. Government ownership of the oil patch would ensure that we would see the real money to be made by our oil.
Growing the oil industry is not the way to have secure long term economically or socially. Being capital intensive it is not a cost-efficient way to produce jobs.
As we see it is exposed to international political pressures and fluctuations in the world price for oil. If we could establish a made-in-Canada price for oil, we would have some security. But of course that would go against the powers-that-be's almost slavish obedience to U.S. controllers. If U.S. oil companies can use Alberta as a captive source of oil, split it from the rest of Canada politically and through separation sentiment, they know they can make superprofits when prices firm up as we will sell our oil for a relative few jobs and a pittance of royalties. While Alberta is left with an array of environmental bills to cover. Trudeau was right in giving the oil sector only money to be used to clean up their mess. It did something to address the overdue bill while also making public the very great problem that future Albertans will be left with.
And don't look to the Alberta Heritage Trust Fund to cover it - it has not been added to for years and is only at the $20B mark it was at some 30 years ago. The last two booms have been - it seems - little more than pissed away.
And as for coal:
Denuding the eastern slope of the Rockies is no way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, to dampen our generally overheated economy, to develop our tourist trade or make us look better in the international community. It will also accentuate Prairies rivers' recently-elevated propensity for flooding. without trees to slow the travel of rain water.
All apparently will be sacrificed for the almighty dollar.
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