The Day After

Norman Wiebe

Published

5 years ago

4 minute read

Well our respective leaders have expressed their concerns both for Alberta and Saskatchewan to our Prime Minister.

Premier’s Kenney and Moe both informed Mr. Trudeau of issues that must be resolved to help our provinces get back on their feet. The problem for us though is how much can Trudeau give without offending eastern Canada or the environmentalists. the big ticket items are: cancel the carbon tax, renegotiate equalization, and to let us build pipelines.

We all know that the carbon tax isn’t going away. I suspect Trudeau has spent millions of tax dollars on carbon offsets in his many attempts to sell himself to the world as a climate saviour. The Paris accord meetings alone cost us millions, never mind all the rest. Unlikely he backs down on this and angers his environmental friends.

If equalization is renegotiated in our favor, the cash flow to eastern Canada will have to shrink or stop altogether. This would send the budgets of those provinces into deficit territory fast, especially Quebec as they are the largest recipient. I don’t think we’ll get much political support down east for this idea as much as we might want it. Trudeau will not jeopardize the support he so desperately needs from the BQ to keep his agenda rolling.

How about building the Trans Mountain pipeline. Now that Trudeau has nationalized it, perhaps he’ll actually try to get it built. I can see SNC Lavalin consulting on the project, oops never mind that joke; it’s quite likely though that Trudeau uses it to his best advantage.

Allowing this one pipeline to be built, and at the same time assuring his supporters that no more pipelines will ever be built again due to Bill C-69 and Bill C-48, might be just what he needs to placate Albertans (for a time) and the environmentalists. Owning it, he can always force a shut down of production, so sort of a win all around for him.

The global investment community already knows that Canada is closed for business. Unless the government gets out of the way, the only pipelines built in our future will be done by the federal government. They will control our oil production forever. Trudeau’s plans for Phasing out the Oil Sands is already underway.

As I’ve said before, Independence for Alberta is the only reasonable option I see left to us. Everything else leaves us at the mercy of a system of government that exploits us, and keeps political power firmly vested in the east.

Once we’ve overcome the sentimental reasons to remain at the mercy of Ottawa, and embraced the logic of taking control of our own affairs, we can become an Independent nation. After that we can move forward working together as equals.

After our success, we can reach out to neighboring provinces to join us in our new nation, with a constitution that is based on Liberty, equality, and individual rights.

I really do hope that we can bring all western provinces on board, and maybe our eastern friends will change their ways, develop their economies and stand on their own two feet.

Some day, Alberta truly will be Strong and Free. In the course of us creating this new nation, we could possibly save all of Canada.

Click here to see Norman Wiebe’s post “What Now?”

Norman Wiebe

Norm Wiebe is a local Financial Advisor and political policy enthusiast. He and his wife Lera, live in Red Deer with their two children. Norm uses facebook to promote ideas, so look for him there. https://www.facebook.com/norman.wiebe

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The Day After

Alberta

Big win for Alberta and Canada: Statement from Premier Smith

Published on April 2, 2025

Government of Alberta

Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:

“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.

“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.

“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.

“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.

“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.

“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”

Alberta

Energy sector will fuel Alberta economy and Canada’s exports for many years to come

Published on April 2, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Jock Finlayson

By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.

Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.

In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.

Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.

The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.

Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.