Guest Column by Darrell Dunn, Editor, The Weekly Bean
Three more eco-activists have raised their hands in protest to the Carney-lead effort to rejuvenate Canada’s resource economy, and in the process begin to off-set the nascent Western Separatist silliness. Catherine Abreu and UBC professor Patrick Welles have resigned from a so-called “Net-Zero Body” which was set up through the Trudeau era environmental governance regime’s Net Zero Accountability Act; or more precisely “the No Industrial Development in any way shape or form – especially in Alberta or Saskatchewan Act”. Additionally, a Liberal MP, Patrick Weiler from British Columbia (surprise!) contends that his own party leader must “answer questions” as to why he moved away from preventing any and all resource development to negotiating a pathway to future development.
Now, why would I be so sarcastic about the effort to reduce emissions by serious, committed well intentioned environmentalists? Very simply, because arbitrarily tearing down a resource economy, who’s products are in world-wide demand with no acknowledgment of the long-term economic impact of the loss of employment, revenue and tax dollars is insane. Specific example: Trudeau turning down Europe’s request for Canadian Natural Gas. Good move, bud. How does “no new anything” move us forward? I don’t see a plan from these people, and a “green economy” has been talked about for years, but we still don’t see a clear replacement of products derived from petrochemicals by the “green” economy.
The greening of this country has been tremendously expensive with very limited obvious benefit. The price of heating my home in frigid temperatures has dramatically increased with no off-set benefit. The Eco-Liberal Carbon Tax did nothing but take money out of my pocket with literally no positive return. And make no mistake, some nebulous feel-good, fuzzy-wuzzy, I-did-my-part emotional response does nothing to off-set looking at the size of my gas/power bill.
A number of recent Canada-wide survey’s have clearly shown that the average Canadian’s appetite for eco-action has significantly gone down the ladder when compared to affordability and a host of other concerns far more relevant and immediate. Is climate change real? Absolutely. Can we stop it? Not in any practical way in the short term. Should we work at reducing emissions? Absolutely. But the ‘big” solutions are in technology, not taxes.
As I said last week, it is absolutely time that the environmentalists get knocked back on their heels and recognize that there needs to be a balance between responsible development and care of the environment. Again, schools and hospitals don’t get paid for by fairy dust.
Read more: Guest Opinion – The last of the 4 horseman of the apocolypse
