Equally questionable is why the wider Canadian public seems to be uninterested in advocating to our nation’s federal politicians the approval of the Energy East pipeline. Energy East would fill eastern Canadian refiners that are currently being filled by Saudi Arabian oil.
Indeed, the uninformed public, berated with emotional and cherry picked fact-like rhetoric, has morphed into a personified French princess Marie Antoinette, whose affluence and sheltered lifestyle disconnected her from the fundamentals that made her life possible. “Let them eat cake!” she opined when France was incapable of supplying enough bread. Her out-of-tune rhetoric has been said to ultimately spur the French revolution and thus open the path for the free world.
It is time to inform the public.
This movement needs a leader and we needn’t look further than Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall. An ardent defender of not only his province, Wall shows his intimate understanding of the oil and gas industry by offering practical solutions. His commitment to Canadians involved in the energy sector is unwavering and he is capable of sailing against the tide to get to more favorable winds.
My attention to Brad Wall’s aptitude for flying true to reality came this past February when he motioned for government funds to be used to stimulate oil patch economic activity by cleaning up abandoned wells in Saskatchewan. Concerns over who ultimately should pay for the clean up cost have now been tied up in Alberta’s courts between the AER and industry creditors. But both seem to agree that we need a joint government-industry response to truly solve the liability issue of abandoned wells disrupting valuable farmland.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the federal liberals stroked down Wall’s motion leading into the Vancouver climate summit. This is despite the opportunity to create jobs, avoid ample legal fees, protect the efficient scale of oilfield service companies, provide positive environmental impact and create positive PR for the oil industry at large. The willingness to act and advocate for such a practical measure is not only a testament of Wall’s understanding of the complex issue, but an indication of his commitment to families working in the industry.
Brad Wall’s conviction to this immense challenge is evident with a quick scroll through his twitter feed, where he personally congratulates firms like Alberta based Raging River Exploration for their investment in his home province. His passionate and emblazoned speech at the Calgary Petroleum Club points to his awareness of the embattled state of Canadian oil firms and his willingness to stand against the overly negative media presence, to which a lesser politician could drown under.
Currently he has engaged in doing what Notley is seemingly incapable of: taking a stand against media pressured politicians in the Eastern Canadian provinces. Already having solicited many Quebec mayors on the merits and rationality of Energy East, he is currently in Toronto touting the economic benefits of his innovative program (the creation of 3300 permanent jobs and $50 billion in economic activity). And of course, with Lac Magentic fresh in the collective consciousness, keeping in mind their safety benefits.
Irrationality has dominated the discussion on Albertan oil sands. It has come to a point where rational modes of reasoning are repressed under ignorant emotion. We need a voice to bring appreciation and reason back into the conversation. Brad Wall not only talks the right talk, but walks it as well. He has an intimate knowledge of the Canadian oil industry and is willing to go above and beyond his own Province for the rest of Canada. Now is the time to voice support for the only politician in the West with a backbone in his ardent quest to break the unreasonable trance the media has cast upon our oil. Premier Wall, I salute you for your efforts. I wish you the best of luck in your campaign for truth and reality.