Canadians may have to experience the disastrous economic consequences of Net Zero policies before they support a party or parties that seek a more rational course.
By Robert Lyman, Net Zero, 2023
Canada’s economy and the standard of living of its people both rely on the availability of plentiful and relatively inexpensive energy and mineral resources. However, federal and provincial governments seek to implement an extremely costly and high-risk ‘transition’ to energy sources and technologies that are more expensive, less reliable and less secure than the ones now used.
The preponderance of political forces strongly favours the current policy path, and the majority of the public, heavily influenced by the media, supports the “green” agenda. This represents a conundrum for those who view these policies as harmful and divisive, and see that if present trends continue, Canada’s citizens will suffer serious consequences.
When might Canada change course, and turn away from the unattainable and destructive decarbonization targets? The case can be made that, at some point within the next decade, the consequences of current policies will become so dire that voters remove those responsible from office. Judging by events in Europe, however, it will take a severe energy crisis: high energy prices creating a ‘heat or eat’ dilemma, or power cuts.
In the meantime, the most common view is that the path to policy change lies less in lobbying Parliamentarians than in altering public opinion. I believe that reformers must present a coherent and positive set of policies, with broad appeal to the Canadian public; an alternative approach that better balances environmental, economic and social considerations, and behind which the nation can unite. This would build upon the public’s distaste for high and rising carbon taxes, and promote ‘no regrets’ adaptation measures.
The Liberal Party government of Justin Trudeau is fully committed to current climate policies, strongly supported by the socialist New Democratic Party. This alliance has proven to be quite durable. So long as it continues, and both parties win enough seats in the House of Commons to hold a majority, it is extremely unlikely that there will be a major change in climate policy.
The election of a majority Conservative Party government thus offers the only realistic prospect of any significant departure from present policy, and even that is not certain given that party’s unwillingness to challenge the supposed science supporting climate alarm. So, unless Canadians can change the discussion, climate policies are likely to get very much worse before they get better. This will do deep, lasting harm.
This is the Executive Summary of a PDF article discussing how Canada can move away from its current disastrous “green” policies. Click this link to download the full article.