Dear Editor,
The concept of requiring “social license,” via a job-killing carbon tax, to allow us to sell our products around the world is just another social engineering pipe dream forced on Albertans by the Rachel Notley government. In NDP doctrine, facts don’t matter if they don’t agree with the ideology.
Our oil-sands oil is some of the cleanest anywhere and is produced under regulatory and safety conditions that are the envy of the world. Interestingly, the European Union has no problem buying oil from places like Russia or Middle Eastern countries that not only have weaker environmental regulations but exhibit a disdain for human rights.
The rejection of Keystone XL had a lot more to do with a president appeasing his “green” campaign contributors than any real concern for the quality of Canadian oil. The veto came as U.S. oil production exploded with advances in fracking technology and the U.S. began authorizing oil exports to take advantage of this increased output.
Meanwhile, eastern Canada continues to import foreign oil instead of supporting pipeline construction, and then holds its hands out to Albertans for more transfer payments to pay for it.
Resistance to advances in agriculture has far more to do with lack of information and fear-mongering than science. The use of growth-improving hormones safely increases the efficiency of animal production while greatly reducing the demands for land and water resources and lowering the cost to consumers.
GMO (genetically modified organism) use is so widespread that virtually everyone in Canada consumes GMO-containing food every day and have for years. Yet health and life expectancy continue to improve. Increased adoption of technology in agriculture is critical in the struggle to feed a growing world population.
A carbon tax on everyone and everything will make every product and service more expensive, reduce Alberta’s competitiveness in the world, destroy local businesses and create massive pain for Alberta families, while doing absolutely nothing to help the environment.
Unfortunately, this is what Premier Notley seems unable to understand.
Terry Hamre