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The contrast between us and them is as big as the Alberta oil price differential.
This reality was the focus of nearly 400 pro-energy protesters gathered at the Telus Convention Center on Tuesday, chanting "Build the pipe now!" If he did, he was deaf to their despair.
On Monday, General Motors announced that it would close its plant in Oshawa, Ontario, in about a year, laying off 2,900 auto workers. The federal government and the Prime Minister are behaving like Armageddon, while Alberta can not move their oil and 120,000 workers in the oil and gas sector have lost their jobs.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Jerry Dias, president of Unifor – the successor to the union of Canadian auto workers, who has now disappeared.
Last Thursday, while he was in Calgary, the Prime Minister met for an hour – with a photo opportunity among others – with eleven wholesalers from the oil and gas industry. Dias at one o'clock, each Calgary industry chief has five minutes and 45 seconds with the PM, if that happens.
If Morneau and Trudeau do not think that this kind of political harbadment is noticed, they are mistaken.
Nikki Sitch, a property company of Kiwetinohk Resources, said he came to protest "the apathy of all our governments".
"The contrast between the seriousness with which Trudeau and Morneau treat Ontario's auto workers relative to Alberta's energy workers is incredible to me. We do not seem to have any sympathy or action, "said Sitch, former president of the Canadian Association of Tankers and Riders.
"Make no mistake, it's unfortunate that people are going to lose their jobs (in Oshawa), but it's just as unfortunate that Albertans are losing their jobs."
Greg McLean, Managing Director of Criterium Merchant Capital, said, "Albertans must do everything in their power to get Ottawa action."
"The difference in oil prices costs the Canadian economy between $ 80 million and $ 100 million a day. It's up to Minister Morneau to defend the treasure of this country and I do not see him doing it, "said McLean, who revealed that he was running for the Conservative Party in Calgary Center.
"For a guy who has a $ 20 billion deficit, that differential loss is half of that."
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On Tuesday, West Texas Intermediate oil sold for $ 51.83. The Western Canadian Select is sold for a paltry $ 12.38 – a differential of $ 39.45 caused by an overabundance of oil that has nowhere to go as the construction of the $ 12.38 – pipeline did not track oil production.
Despite the Calgary Stampeders' Gray Cup rally just a few steps away, there were more protesters outside the convention center than the 260 people who gathered to hear Morneau at a party. dinner organized by the Chamber of Commerce.
Last Thursday, the day after Morneau's financial update on November 21, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley made a somewhat skeptical statement: "If this kind of economic crisis unfolded in the United States, manufacturing sector in Ontario, making its way into the first two paragraphs of the tax update, "she told reporters.
In his financial update speech, Morneau devoted only 26 words to Alberta's problems in his 2,398-word statement. Following his speech at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Morneau briefly met with reporters. In part, his asking asked him why he is so reluctant to talk about Alberta's problems and the value of the energy industry when he has a national audience.
"I give him an important part of my speeches across the country," he said, adding that incentives for businesses to invest and create jobs will help all sectors of the economy.
He mostly reiterated that the federal Liberal government had "substituted words for action" when it bought the Trans Mountain pipeline for $ 4.5 billion this summer.
What this action did was tell the world that Canada's regulatory system is such a mess that companies are abandoning projects in which they have invested hundreds of millions of dollars.
There were other actions that spoke louder than words, too. Trudeau vetoed the Northern Gateway Pipeline, and then moved the goalposts to Energy East saying that TransCanada would be responsible for all of the CO2 emissions caused by the end user of the product in the pipe (which is the reason for this). it does not do in Saudi Arabia, Bombardier or General Motors responsible for) and impose a carbon tax when the energy sector was in the reanimation stage.
The contrast between how Alberta is treated and how the federal government treats others, including foreign dictatorships, is greater than our differential. It is high time to reduce this gap.
Licia Corbella is a Postmedia opinion columnist.
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