Has Canada reached a breaking point or turning point?
Even if it’s a good punchline for late-night comedians, there is nothing inconsistent about building pipelines while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Stranding Canadian oil by blocking pipelines is damaging to both the energy industry and the Canadian economy as a whole. Moreover, it is an ineffective way to reduce our carbon emissions—a price on carbon […]
We are not really ‘The North’
OTTAWA—Thirteen years ago, I went to Whitehorse, the first time I had ever been north of the 60th parallel. It was a memorable visit, as I was enveloped by the northern lights, travelled around the region, and met people of all ages and backgrounds to talk about international policy. In doing so, I was part […]
Oilsands are low hanging fruit; this is where we should cut first
Re: “Will Trudeau’s climate action match his rhetoric this time—or ever?” (The Hill Times, Dec. 2, p. 14). Susan Riley writes that Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is said to be a good listener. I hope he listens not only to the unrelenting oil lobby, but also to us voters. No doubt he is aware that […]
Canadian oil and gas: where in the world are we going?
One of the most contentious issues in Canadian politics is squaring oil and gas development with the country’s climate commitments. Can the two be aligned? It’s a very open question. A sober look at global energy demand offers a way to think through the challenge. The International Energy Agency published its 2019 World Energy Outlook […]
The prime minister is winning the carbon pricing fight, he shouldn’t back down now
Over the coming weeks, the federal government will have to make big decisions that will determine just how effective Canada’s carbon price will be at reducing emissions. Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick have all proposed weaker carbon pricing systems for their industrial emitters and are now asking the feds to allow them to implement those […]
Clearing the water that Canadian hydropower has ultra-low greenhouse gas emissions
In The Hill Times’ energy policy briefing published on Dec. 2, 2019, an opinion piece stated that, “Hydro reservoirs the world over are known methane sources.” The piece also raised doubt about the impact of the Site C dam in British Columbia on climate change. It posed the question “what are the projected methane emissions […]
Federal transit spending could sustain high cost, high carbon cities
In the wake of months of climate action grandstanding from all sides of the stadium, Canadians are suffering an election hangover. Now that cabinet has been sworn in, it is time to sober up and reflect on meaningful climate action. With the exception of the Conservatives, all parties made it to step one of the […]
Avoiding the climate-change Big Short
Anyone wanting to fully understand the importance of Mark Carney taking a position with the UN to work on climate change finance issues should stream The Big Short on Netflix tonight. This movie showed how the U.S. financial system was brought to its knees in 2007-2008 by the US housing bubble. Unwitting investors piled huge […]
Trudeau gets an unexpected ally in the climate change wars
OTTAWA—Central bankers, the arms-length public servants who try to enhance their countries’ economies by influencing commercial borrowing rates, are generally seen as some of the world’s most remote, pointy-headed, and cautious people. Aside from the apparent millions who view international banking authorities through the lens of idiotic, paranoid conspiracy theories, most citizens likely don’t think […]
‘Small but mighty’: New Democrats say they’re up to the task as MPs pile on critic jobs
The NDP’s lead critics say they’re feeling good about their “small but mighty” caucus, which they say can bring change in a minority government and attention to their “critical work” by hammering home the party’s “widely popular” priorities. At the Nov. 28 critic announcement, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, B.C.) said he was proud […]
