Greens Nail It on Energy

The Green Party has nailed it on the head when it comes to energy economics in Canada. And they dared to announce it in Calgary, today. What chutzpah.

What they have said should be sweet music to any libertarians ears, right or left ( and this is where we seperate the real libertarians from the neo-cons). An end to the subisidization of Big Oil and Big Nukes. The biggest corporate welfare bums in Canada.

"Why are we subsidizing oil-gas interests when they're making the highest profits in their existence?" said Harris, adding that $1.4 billion was spent on federal initiatives to the energy industry last year."If you look over the last 30 years, $40 billion of subsidies to oil-gas companies, literally subsidizing global climate change Greens would cut tax breaks to oil-gas sector

And they have taken a page from the NDP campaign over Kyoto, and went one step further than Layton has.

So now the Liberals and Conservatives have to worry about Green Economics which they both fail miserably at.

Now what about coal? Hmmm Jim, didn't see a specific mention of coal here in the program.....now you wouldn't be fronting for Energy Probe on this would ya? Because I searched your web site and found NO specific policy on coal, funding the coal industry, or credits for coal technology. Strange that. Dosen't abstention or failure to mention a particular 'energy' industry mean tacit approval?! Inquiring minds want to know, so does Luscar.

3. Recalculating the balance sheet

Fossil fuels have proven to be one of Canada’s most prized assets. While the projected revenue from oil sands, offshore and Arctic development may seem like Canada’s gain, it is time we consider the other side of the balance sheet. Rising health, social and environmental costs are seldom reflected in government appraisals of energy procurement.

The federal government’s unwillingness to measure the drawbacks of oil dependency leaves future generations in a highly vulnerable position. Rather than lead a global push toward renewable energy alternatives, successive Canadian governments have chosen the path of inefficiency and pollution, which inevitably lead to lower productivity, manufacturing losses, and higher fuel prices.

While the Pembina Institute estimates that the federal government dishes out $1.4 billion every year to fossil fuel production, the figure would be much higher if provincial subsidies were included in the calculation. These actions are known as ‘perverse subsidies’ because public money is being spent to support practices that harm public well-being and incur unintended (though predictable) costs.

Despite the health, environmental and financial risks associated with nuclear energy, the federal government also continues to subsidize Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) with over $100 million each year. Not only would the Green Party end subsidies to AECL, the Green Party would also rescind all uranium-mining permits and prohibit the export of fissionable nuclear material. This is party of the Green Party’s overall strategy to promote life-cycle product stewardship of minerals to ensure full-cost accounting.

The Green Party would empower communities with renewable energy and a renewed confidence in public office by dismantling Canada’s petroleum and nuclear dependency while developing a decentralized energy plan. In order to do this, the federal government must work with the provinces that are responsible for regulating energy production.

Green Party MPs will work to:

· End all federal subsidies to non-renewable energy sectors.

· Work with the provinces to report all public expenditures and tax credits on oil, gas and mining.

· Allow the price of fossil fuels to reflect their true costs to society through new regulations that force polluters to pay for damages and remediation costs.

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Alberta
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Green Party
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economy
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Federal Eletion 2006