Standing Up for Our Canadian Energy Sector.
Once again, this Liberal-NDP government’s disdain toward Canada’s energy sector has been made loud and clear. The Liberal’s Just Transition, or Bill C-50, is a dangerous, government- mandated and direct threat to hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs which support hard working Canadians families.
This careless Liberal-NDP government’s “Just Transition” would shatter the prosperity, stability and economics of Canada, as well as our energy and agriculture sectors. Indeed, rather than being proud of the sustainability, innovation and skill sets we have developed here in Canada, the Liberal- NDP government is proud of the number of jobs it would be eliminating through this legislation.
According to the Liberal’s own internal briefings, this legislation would kill 170,000 direct jobs, displace 450,000 direct and indirect jobs and cause large-scale disruptions to the manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, energy and construction sectors, impacting 2.7 million jobs.
On top of that, Bill C-50 is targeted and divisive.
There is no question it would disproportionately harm the economies and jobs primarily in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador. It is no coincidence that the energy sector is a large contributor to the GDP and the economics of these provinces. For Alberta’s GDP, it is about 27.3%, and in Newfoundland and Labrador it is 36%. This would affect 187,000 jobs in Alberta and more than 13,000 workers in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development stated, “the government is not prepared to provide appropriate support to more than 50 communities and 170,000 workers” who would be impacted by this legislation. The government can talk about this being a just transition to new jobs, but the new jobs do not exist. The bill would impact 450,000 direct and indirect jobs, and maybe 2.7 million jobs across the other sectors, but the new jobs are a figment of Trudeau’s imagination, to say this is a transition to future employment is simply false.
There is no doubt this will harm other industries. For example, this half-baked legislation from the NDP-Liberal government would not only increase the cost of living for Canadians and ignore our world-class energy and agriculture industries, but it would also cost 300,000 jobs in the agriculture sector. Food security and affordability are two of the top priorities. Therefore, rather than trying to find ways to address that by reducing taxes, reducing red tape and ensuring we have reliable supply chains to get our products to market, the Liberals have found another way to pile on additional red tape, regulations and burdens on one of our most important industries.
On a global scale, the Liberals will jeopardize Canada’s ability to provide clean and ethical energy to countries that desperately need it. They undermine Canada’s energy supply and potential self-sufficiency and security. Despite this Liberal-NDP disdain and disregard for Canada’s energy sector, it remains a cornerstone of Canada’s economy. Oil and gas alone accounted for $116.8 billion in exports in 2021, 18.3 % of all Canadian exports. On top of that, oil, gas and electricity account for 10% of Canada’s GDP and directly employs 188,000 Canadians.
If we were allowed to get our energy to market, we would actually reduce global emissions by 23%. That would be a success. Canada’s oil and gas sector is about 0.3% of global emissions, and our record in agriculture is even more impressive.
At the end of the day, without a strong economy supported by Canada’s key industries, being energy and agriculture, the means to make effective strides to protect the environment become increasingly elusive. Conservatives are the only party that will find common sense solutions to the problems facing Canadians, and we will be proud of our resource sectors and the men and women who make their living in those industries.
