By Hugh Holland
On February 10, the right-biased National Post published an article by former owner Conrad Black that said, “Canada has never had a government so vehemently opposed to our national interests.” In an October 4 National Post article, former Conservative Minister of Natural Resources, and later Minister of Finance Joe Oliver said: “It is past time to stop our indulgent moralizing about climate change”.
Sir Conrad who is famous for his humility and concise language said, “The world is clawing at our door to buy our oil and natural gas but the present government, while inciting every conceivable pretext for refusing or harassing the construction of pipelines to get our oil and gas to world markets, has clamped its lips around the gas-pipe of climate alarmism.”
Apparently, Black forgets that this Liberal government built the only two pipelines since 2007. Oliver’s conservatives didn’t build a single kilometer of pipeline. The Trans Mountain and Coastal Gas Link pipelines are set to come on stream in the first half of 2024. At 15.2 tonnes per capita, Canada is among the world’s highest emitters, so reducing emissions is clearly in Canada’s national interest. Canada’s ability to sell our oil for as long as oil is needed is dependent on reducing our emissions.
Black and Oliver both believe that since Canada’s contribution to the world’s fossil fuel emissions is only 1.5 per cent nothing we do will be of the slightest significance to the world. But by pursuing a responsible path to help mitigate climate change, Canada is serving as a positive model for the world. Using Black’s and Oliver’s twisted logic, China makes only 8.8 tonnes per capita vs Canada at 15.2 tonnes of per capita, so why should China do anything? The USA makes 12.6% of global emissions but only 14.2 tonnes per capita, vs 15.2 for Canada, so why should the USA do anything? India makes 6.9% of global emissions, but only 1.9 tonnes per capita vs Canada’s 15.2, so why should India do anything? Germany makes 1.7% of global emissions but only 8.1 tonnes per capita vs Canada’s 15.2, so why should Germany do anything? France makes only 0.8% of global emissions, and only 4.7 tonnes per capita vs Canada’s 15.2, so, again, why should France do anything?
According to the logic of Black and Oliver, every country has an excuse, so nobody should do anything until the last barrel of oil is pumped from the ground in about 50 years (according to BP’s review of world energy supplies). According to Black and Oliver, nobody should do anything until (according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) up to one billion people desperately try to migrate to higher ground from low coastal cities on every continent, to escape rising sea levels. And, of course, they will be welcomed by people like Black and Oliver with plenty of homes and food. Could it be that Black and Oliver both attended the prestigious Trump University?
Black went on the say, ”Large emitters like China, India, and Russia will not allow ecological nostrums (remedies) of the West to deter them from developing their own economies as swiftly as possible” Really? Both China and India have very serious emission-related health problems and, like Canada and many other countries, are working to reduce emissions as an important part of stabilizing and growing a modern zero-emission economy. China is leading the world in the production of electric vehicles. The picture above shows the world’s first Small Modular Nuclear Reactor that started producing clean electricity in China in January 2022. India has a list of emission reduction strategies underway and does Russia offer a model to emulate for anything?
Black, also affectionately known as Baron Black of Crossharbour, inherited a fortune and controlled the world’s third-largest newspaper group. He shuttled by private jet between his opulent mansions in New York, Palm Beach, London, and Toronto’s Bridle Path. But after presiding over a string of business failures and spending three years in a U.S. federal prison on fraud and obstruction of justice charges, he sold everything but a small corner of his land on the Bridle Path to pay legal fees. He was stripped of his British peerage and the Order of Canada. With that track record, Black is hardly in a position to advise anyone on business matters, including our current national government.
With similar logic, Piere Poilievre will save the day with some yet undisclosed magic wand to reduce emissions. He will use “technology” to force industry alone to reduce emissions. He does not need that pesky carbon tax that is used in 72 countries to help shift consumers toward products that make fewer or zero emissions. According to Poilievre’s theory, industry can do it alone without any help from consumers. In a free market, producers make what consumers want to buy. Not so in a Poilievre world.
Poilievre (Aka Mr. Freedom) would not allow “his people” to attend global climate conferences or the World Economic Forum. After all, why should he listen to the ideas of the world’s foremost scientists and business leaders?
Fortunately, 190 countries including Canada signed the COP 28 agreement that gives the world a fighting chance to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. But what do they know? They do not follow the teachings of Sir Conrad Black, Joe Oliver, and Donald Trump. They only follow the world’s top economists and climate scientists who have researched the subject for over 50 years.
Poilievre’s far-right conservatives are riding high in the polls right now. But sometimes governments, like the current Liberals, do the right thing even knowing it could cost them their jobs. Conservative Brian Mulroney brought in the unpopular GST believing it was the right thing to do. The Liberals criticized the GST and Mulroney lost the election.The succeeding Liberals didn’t cancel it. Instead, they used it to dig Canada out from under a mountain of debt. Thanks to the Conservative’s GST and the Liberal’s CPP, Canada currently has the lowest net debt as a per cent of GDP in the G7 democracies.
Hugh Holland is a retired engineering and manufacturing executive now living in Huntsville, Ontario.
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This can be debated endlessly, but the most obvious fact is we cannot afford to get this wrong! Life as we know it has moved from the rear burner to the front burner and from there it will go to the oven itself –followed by locking the oven door.
By 1950 Big Oil knew that continued fossil fuel burning would lead to serious environmental problems by year 2050. But there was money to be made. Really big money!
You cannot grow more food when there is insufficient rain or some other water source! That is an irrefutable fact. And, increased solar radiation will have a seriously negative impact on soil fertility.
There is a “lag” in the planetary environment such that changes are not instantaneous. We cannot afford to wait. Unlike the ancients, we cannot sit around debating the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin.
Then there is the matter of health. At Camp Borden in 1960 or thereabouts we frequently would take a lunch break near a small hill. I often went up onto that hill and by 11 AM one could see the brown/grey smudge moving north from “Big Smoke” Toronto -and it was obvious things were not going to end well. Now, that cruddy air is here all the time. Urban sprawl is spreading. And the country is burning! The entire world is under threat. Those smoke particles are so fine they can cross lung /blood vessel barriers and thereby lead to serious medical problems. We would be wise to anticipate many more cancers in the future. Of course, some people will still be stupid and ignore the obvious. Some might say the loss of some lives is acceptable-but not so if they themselves are among those lost.
Some years ago, two-cycle motorcycles and scooters were popular. In Boca Chica, Dominican Republic investigators discovered an abnormally high number of brain cancers. It was a wake-up call. Those two-cycle polluters are now rare. I am pleased to know that were I to visit there, I will no longer see streets shrouded under a haze of stinking smoke.
Health-care and prevention of illness is a growth industry. Unless mankind smartens up, we will lose many battles -perhaps even the war for our survival.
Governments accept advice from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which is perpetually playing catch up to the real world. The last world climate conference took place in a nation basing its wealth on oil. Hardly appropriate. The next one, COP 29 will take place in Azerbaijan which gets 90% of its income from exporting oil and gas. Again, this seems inappropriate. To insult generous hosts in their own home can lead to consequences.
The warning signs are all around us. Lakes and rivers are starting to dry up. Tectonic plates are moving with resulting earthquakes. There are faults in the earth’s crust -even under Lake Ontario. Oceans are rising. Methane a serious greenhouse gas is being released in polar regions. The “Roman Mob” is still with us -its gladiators replaced by sports heroes. Bread and circuses continue. Daily interests occupy us; grab our attention. The food chain when it breaks will demand attention. But not yet. We do not demand enough action from our leaders – not yet.
Earth’s climate is very complex. It is simplistic and erroneous to blame any one factor. Our planetary environment is comparable to an incredibly long equation. But equations should be balanced. This one is so long and so out-of-whack in so many places, it will take a transcendental-type event or marvelous new technology to solve our needs. ITER in France, the Lawrence Livermore Laboratories (U.S.), General Fusion in B.C. and any of many other companies might come up with a workable solution…but not yet.
Captains of industry, politicians and others all trapped in the prisons of the lust for power and money must not win the global warming battle. If they do win, we will all lose. And, this year will probably be warmer than the last.
The present can be compared to the lull before Pearl Harbour.
We are not likely to get a second chance.
Mr. Holland; Conrad Black has no credibility with me. He is a convicted felon.
(Rumor was that he was not accepted to study at U of T because he cheated on exams at Upper Canada College in his younger days). He was accepted at Carleton University to study for his undergrad degree.
.Trump’s documents case in Florida, moving boxes from place to place in Mar-a- Logo is reminiscent of Black’s removal of boxes, caught on camera – a lead up to his indictment.
Yes, well said! An OPED that rings so true.
Thank you High for your well researched and well stated information. We all need to do what we can to save our planet.
And thankfully the Liberals are getting the banks to clearly show that many of us are receiving carbon tax rebates automatically into our bank accounts.
Thanks, Hugh, for your revealing research and for providing global perspective on carbon emissions.
The specious populist polarizing around carbon pricing and empty political scrapping by Poilievre and his power-seeking ilk offer no proven path to carbon emissions reduction.
The current Canadian government’s environmental leadership has to communicate clearly why its emissions policies must be in step with those of the rest of the thinking world.
WOW! Your hatred of any thing that does not fit your left narrative and left agenda is truly Amazing! Does JT fund you? Trans Mount was bought for 4.5 BILLION $$$ by JT and JT has spent $30 + Billion $$ for expansion cost! TAX PAYER $$$! I guess none of that means nothing in your world? I guess I should not be shocked with Liberal / NDP uncontrolled spending and huge appetite to buy votes! I do not believe you should sacrifice your country to WEF or Climate change ideology. Do you ever stop to think WHY “the people’ have had enough of JT / NDP programs and services, scandals, spending and taxing Canadians to death? It is time to put Canadians first! If the polls mean anything … you will not like the results when your team calls an election!
At last an OPED that can totally be agreed with.
BJ you are so uninformed about the conservatives. Conservatives are not giving billions away to other countries like the liberals while we have the highest amount of people using food banks and the thousands of homeless. Lets see the liberals actually spend some of Canadians tax dollars on Canadians. What countries are giving Canada money to help us out?
Drew, the CPP is the Canada Pension Plan brought in by the Lester Pearson government.
Thank you very much for your insightful article, Mr. Holland. I do hope that it will penetrate some of the heads of Mr. Polievre’s supporters. Perhaps at least of those who think and are concerned about the future.
Unfortunately, most Conservatives desire only instant profits; they do not worry about the future of their children and their children’s children. Sometimes the Conservative politicians act as if they are paid by the developers and fossil fuels corporations. I know that this is not so, but one could be forgiven for getting that impression, as the investment into the development of renewable sources of energy is not at the front of their agendas; not that they have disclosed any plans of their own about tackling the ecology problems.
What is the Liberal “CPP”?