Time for talk is over, Canada needs a climate-change energy strategy right now
Canada needs an energy strategy that contemplates future energy supply and demand, international versus domestic markets, energy security, alternative energy sources versus traditional sources, jurisdictional issues, international pressures and environmental issues. The proverbial elephant in this room is climate change. Of course, any energy strategy to be believable and operable must contemplate the impact of […]
‘Idea of a superpower’s rhetorically fun, but it doesn’t mean very much’ say energy stakeholders
While the government has touted Canada’s aim to become a “clean energy superpower,” some energy industry observers say it is a term more “rhetorically fun” than substantive and they question whether the government really wants to be a superpower. Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) first spoke of Canada as an “emerging energy superpower” […]
Canada needs a national energy strategy to set framework for future, say stakeholders
Canada has an abundance and diversity of energy sources that greatly contribute to the country’s economic health, but as the energy industry moves to extract oil and gas from more difficult places and renewable energy sources gain more market share, everyone from environmentalists to petroleum producers say Canada needs a national energy strategy to set […]
High moral tone, meaning well, do not make foreign policy
Joseph Stalin, on being told that the Pope was opposed to some course of action the Soviet dictator favoured, famously sneered, “How many divisions does the Pope have?” The Catholic Church had the last laugh, of course; good men and women fought back against Communism. But Stalin’s question is a brutal reminder that moral principles […]
Harper should fulfill Arctic equipment purchases sooner than later, say critics
Prime Minister Stephen Harper stands upon an ice floe with the chief of the defence staff of the Canadian Forces by his side. Metres away, hooked on to another ice floe, black-clad military divers sit on a Zodiac watching as an Airbus 320 refuelling tanker thunders above, flanked by two CF-18s. A Canadian Coast Guard […]
Arctic leaders call for bigger investments in communities, job creation
Security and sovereignty in Canada’s North should be protected not just through patrol ships and boots on the ground, but through empowering people by investing in infrastructure in communities and job creation, say Arctic leaders. “The first and highest priority of our northern strategy is the protection of our Arctic sovereignty,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper […]
Observers split on reality of $16.2-billion Mackenzie Valley pipeline project
Observers and actors involved in the Mackenzie Valley pipeline project are split about whether the $16.2-billion scheme is a pipedream that market conditions won’t support or a plan that has all the support and potential to create jobs and allow cash to flow North. Since large natural gas deposits were first discovered in the Beaufort […]
Canada’s world-renowned ‘ice superhighway’ critical to N.W.T. economy
OTTAWA—For remote Northern Canadian communities, ice roads and airstrips are critical supply links. Arctic communities and regional mining industries depend heavily on these links for the transportation of equipment, building supplies, oil, and essential goods necessary for survival. The world-renowned “ice superhighway,” Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road (TCWR), is the only overland route that services […]
Yukon known for its growing economy, potential for future expansion
WHITEHORSE, YUKON—Yukon is well-known as the Land of the Midnight Sun and the home of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. Today’s Yukon is also known for its growing economy and potential for future expansion. In 2009, Yukon posted the highest real growth in the country. In five of the last six years Yukon’s GDP […]
Getting on the right track sea ice, Inuit trails and importance of Arctic sovereignty
OTTAWA—The political and economic significance of the Arctic is rapidly increasing with potential implications for Canadian sovereignty. The potential opening of the Canadian Archipelago and the Northwest Passage for regular shipping has prompted interest from external actors regarding energy, mining and shipping. While most international leaders prefer to approach Arctic issues from the standpoint of […]
