Playing political games

By Letter to the Editor on February 4, 2021.

Editor:
First on the agenda of America’s new president were insulting and hurting a long-time friend Ð Canada.
Because he was vice-president for Obama, he apparently wants to restore the legacy of that era that was severely damaged by Trump. So, back comes the climate change philosophy, including throwing out “dirty” Canadian oil.
However, behind Mr. Clean’s political posturing, a little dirty secret is still running its course Ð America receives oil from Canada via other pipelines.
The NDP government of British Columbia practices the same convenient inconsistency. They refuse the building of the second pipeline from Alberta, but lavishly use the oil products running through the existing pipeline, and those coming by railroad. They harm Canada’s energy sector and blocks massive income from abroad.
Quebec is the third culprit in this type of hypocritical posturing. They do not want Alberta’s “dirty” oil but eagerly take money generated by that oil. They go even further by importing oil from hostile Arabian countries, making valuable funds leave Canada, which they could have invested in our own economy. Is that Canada-friendly?
Refusing oil by pipeline but accepting it by ships and trains, is plain stupidity. The chances for spills on long railroads and long sea routes are far greater than spills by pipelines. On top of that: the cost of transporting oil from point A to B is much higher by train and ship.
There is a fourth culprit in these political games people play: our own prime minister. The way he handled the pipeline crises, and associated demonstrations, did not show clear vision and firm resolve about Canada’s vital energy sector. In addition, he slammed an inflationary carbon tax on this part of the economy, a policy that is not convincing people to buy smaller cars.
When fuel gets more expensive, everything transported by that fuel becomes more expensive, too. Carbon tax is a triple whammy: higher prices for fuel and goods also increase the sales tax we pay. The rebates do not match these unnecessary expenses.
(Current low fuel prices are caused by decreased travelling during the pandemic, not by carbon tax).
Jacob Van Zyl
Lethbridge