2015 budget holds few surprises; a litany of lost opportunities

Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s first and last budget represents a hodge-podge of election promises, rather than a coherent, prudent plan for Canada’s future economic and social health. It all comes down to priorities. The Harper administration is set to spend more money on the celebrations of Canada’s 150th birthday than on the crisis of First ...

Harpernomics 101: Oil, debt and fantasy math

Stephen Harper’s fiscal strategy is being undermined by an economic nightmare. This one isn’t coming out of the eurozone or the United States. No, this time it’s the prime minister’s own policies that are the nightmare. True, Canada rode out the 2008 financial meltdown better than most. Our prime minister was quick to take credit ...

Pipelines to the east?

As the pro-bitumen export crowd notices the gathering storm clouds over their Northern Gateway and Kinder-Morgan options, and, further south, sees long shadows falling over the Keystone XL pipeline to refineries on the shores of the Texas Gulf coast, support is mobilizing for pipelines running east. Debate has been about how best to export raw, ...

Why oil supertankers have no place on the British Columbia coastline

Ideally, Canadians would have an opportunity to discuss what energy decisions are most in our national interest:  to export bitumen crude as fast as possible?  To refine the crude in Canada creating tens of thousands of jobs here? To continue to allow Eastern Canada to be dependent on Nigeria, Angola and Venezuela for oil supplies, ...

Petitions – The Environment

Elizabeth May: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions. The first is from residents of British Columbia who are calling the attention of the House to the need to stop the proposed so-called Enbridge northern gateway pipeline in order to protect the coastline of British Columbia from the risk of oil spills and ...

Why does Harper have more ambitious growth targets for the oil sands than those in the oil patch?

The Prime Minister’s goal of six million barrels of oil a day from the oil sands is driving our foreign policy, our trade policy, has undermined our global climate commitments, is eviscerating our scientific capacity and is skewing our economy to one product at the expense of others. Former U.S. President G. W. Bush was ...

May to Take Part in Defend Our Coast Sit-In

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, MP Saanich-Gulf Islands, will attend the Defend Our Coast sit-in in Victoria next week. People from across Canada will unite to defend our coast from tar sands tankers and pipelines. May, who has an excellent attendance record in the House of Commons, feels that this sit-in is too important to miss. ...

Petitions – The Environment

Elizabeth May: Mr. Speaker, my second petition is also from residents throughout British Columbia. The petitioners are calling on the government to stop the promotion of the so-called northern gateway project, to treat it dispassionately, to ensure full hearings and to ensure there is impartiality from the current government when looking at this proposal. Print ...

Adjournment Proceedings – Foreign Affairs

Elizabeth May: Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to bring up again a matter that was first discussed when I put the question to the Prime Minister on April 24 of this year. It was one of those rare occasions when I put a question to the Prime Minister and he answered it himself. The ...

Chinese oilsands acquisition raises concerns

Publication Source: Island Tides Source Link: View the full original article >> Author: Staff The proposed purchase of Calgary-based Nexen Inc, Canada’s 12th-largest energy company, by the China National Offshore Oil Company, CNOOCLtd., for $15.1- billion (US) should be setting off alarms bells, stated Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Saanich-Gulf Islands MP. ‘This has been ...