Opinion
Tim Spelliscy reads Cam Tait’s words: NOT A NORMAL DAY
After 27 fatalities, the destruction of over 12,000 structures, and $150 to $250 billion in damages, California resident and comedian Bill Maher didn’t hold back his outrage over his state’s catastrophic wildfire response on Real Time.
In a scathing monologue, Maher first pointed out to the climate cult that mandating EVs and shaming people for their carbon footprints means nothing when the government can’t even manage wildfires.
“You know what the absolute worst thing for the environment is? Wildfires. A 2022 study found that the smoke from just the two in 2020 wiped out 18 years of carbon reduction in the state—which means we suffered the pain of driving those early-model Priuses for nothing,” Maher quipped.
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Maher zeroed in on LA Mayor Karen Bass’s selection of Kristin Crowley as fire chief, suggesting she was only chosen for being the “best lesbian” for the job instead of the best person—something Maher argued was “not good enough” for essential services.
“Am I against a lesbian being chief? Of course not. Do I think a lesbian can do the job? Of course, I do. And maybe she’s the best person for the job. Or maybe they really wanted a lesbian in that job, and she’s just the best lesbian for the job, and with essential services, that’s not good enough,” Maher snapped.
“Crowley’s official bio says, ‘Chief Crowley leads a diverse department, creating, supporting, and promoting a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and equity, while striving to meet and exceed the expectations of the communities.’ Well, you didn’t exceed my expectations, which was that the whole city wouldn’t burn down!” he stressed.
“But it’s telling that diversity is mentioned twice before we get to ‘while striving to meet expectations.’ Now, can you do two things at once? Yes, but it matters where your head is,” Maher argued.
Maher went on to admit that it’s “not wrong” to blame wokeness for California’s disastrous fire response, turning his attention to Deputy Fire Chief Kristine Larson, whose recent comments are so absurd that Maher called them “kind of racist.”
Larson said in a viral social media post, “You want to see somebody that responds to your house, your emergency, whether it’s a medical call or a fire call that looks like you.”
Maher fired back at this statement, saying, “which would sound kind of racist if a Southern sheriff said it.”
“Now, is wokeness the main reason for the fires? Of course not,” Maher said. “But let’s not pretend it hasn’t played a role. Our government’s unforced errors are straight out of the progressive playbook: questionable budget priorities, sky-high taxes that get you nothing, and a constant obsession with identity politics instead of fixing what’s broken.”
“Cali’s got commissions, agencies, bureaucrats, and even sign language interpreters who emote with their face,” Maher continued. “But where’s the common sense? Where’s the action?” he asked.
In his final words, Maher warned California that they better figure out how to actually govern “soon” because “wildfires in California are like boob jobs in a strip club: inevitable, and only getting bigger.”
Watch the full monologue below:
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From the Fraser Institute
By Elmira Aliakbari and Jason Clemens
As Donald Trump, who will be sworn in as president on Monday, threatens to impose tariffs on Canadian exports including oil and natural gas, the calls from some Canadian politicians and analysts for greater energy trade diversification grow louder. However, these calls highlight a hard truth—Canada has repeatedly foregone opportunities to reduce our dependence on the United States by cancelling already approved pipelines and failing to approve new pipeline and LNG projects that could have increased our access to global markets.
The U.S. is not just Canada’s largest energy customer—it’s nearly our only customer. In 2023, 97 per cent of crude oil exports and virtually all natural gas exports were sent south of the border. This dependence on the U.S. for exports leaves Canadian producers and the Canadian economy exposed to policy shifts in Washington and even state capitals.
Consider Energy East, a pipeline proposed by TransCanada (now TC Energy) to transport oil from Alberta and Saskatchewan to refineries and export terminals in Atlantic Canada. The pipeline would have reduced Atlantic Canada’s reliance on imported oil and opened export markets for Canadian oil to Europe.
However, in 2017 the Trudeau government introduced new criteria for evaluating and approving major pipeline projects, and for the first time assessments included not only the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from constructing the pipeline but also emissions from producing and using the oil it would transport. Later that year, TransCanada suspended its application for the project, effectively cancelling it. The CEO of TransCanada blamed “changed circumstances” but many observers recognized it was a combination of the new regulations and opposition from Quebec, particularly the City of Montreal. Consequently, the refineries in Atlantic Canada continue to rely on imported oil.
A year earlier in 2016, the Trudeau government cancelled the already-approved Northern Gateway pipeline, which would have connected Alberta oil production with the west coast and created significant export opportunities to Asian markets.
Canada is even more dependent on the U.S. for natural gas exports than oil exports. In 2023, Canada exported approximately 84 billion cubic metres of natural gas—all to the U.S.—via 39 pipelines, again leaving producers in Canada vulnerable to U.S. policy changes.
Meanwhile, Canada currently has no operational infrastructure for exporting liquified natural gas (LNG). While LNG Canada, the country’s first LNG export terminal, is expected to become operational this year in British Columbia, it’s long overdue.
Indeed, several energy companies have cancelled or delayed high-profile LNG projects in Canada due largely to onerous regulations that make approvals uncertain or even unlikely, including the $36 billion Pacific NorthWest LNG project in 2017, the $9 billion Énergie Saguenay LNG project in 2020, Kitimat LNG in 2021 and East Coast Canada LNG in 2023.
This all adds up to a missed opportunity, as global demand for LNG increases. If governments in Canada allowed or even facilitated more development of LNG facilities, Canadian companies could supply high-demand regions such as Asia and Europe. Indeed, during Europe’s 2022 energy crisis, Germany and several other countries turned to Canada for reliable LNG supply, but the Trudeau government rejected the requests.
The contrast with the U.S. is stark. Since 2011, 18 LNG export facilities have been proposed in Canada but only one—LNG Canada Phase 1—is nearing completion, more than 12 years after it was announced. Meanwhile, as of January 2025, the U.S. has built eight LNG export terminals and approved 20 more, securing its position as a global LNG leader.
Years of inaction and regulatory roadblocks have left Canadian energy producers overly dependent on a single trading partner and vulnerable to shifting U.S. policies. The looming threat of tariffs should be a wake-up call. To secure its energy future, Canada must address the regulatory barriers that have long hindered progress and prioritize the development of infrastructure to connect our energy resources to global markets.
Elmira Aliakbari
Director, Natural Resource Studies, Fraser Institute
Jason Clemens
Executive Vice President, Fraser Institute
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