Last week my report “Reassessment of Need for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project” was published by the Parkland Institute and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). The Canadian Energy Centre (aka Premier Jason Kenney’s “War Room”) took exception to my report and wrote a hit piece designed to discredit it,“A Matter of Fact: CCPA report …

This report concludes that the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project (TMX) is not needed to meet forecasted Canadian capacity needs. The author, J. David Hughes, also demonstrates that contrary to claims that bringing heavy oil to tidewater for export to Asia will fetch a higher price, it will likely instead sell at a loss of $4-$6 per barrel. …

The federal government’s latest approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project (TMX) produced a frenzy of rhetoric from politicians and industry vested interests. Unfortunately for Canadians, partisan and vested interests have overruled their best interests. Although Canada does have a pipeline bottleneck due to the 376 per cent growth in oil sands production since …

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) is Canada’s largest and most powerful oil and gas industry association. Its members produce 80 per cent of Canada’s natural gas and crude oil.¹ CAPP consolidates industry expertise and defines and advances the interests of the oil and gas sector in Canada.

All British Columbians have a stake in the pricing of natural resources. When trees are logged, when minerals are mined, when fossil fuels are drilled, the companies doing the extracting pay fees to the Province in recognition that the resources are publicly owned. It is therefore in everybody’s interest to know how the government prices …

The Business Council of Canada (BCC) is one of Canada’s most powerful corporate advocacy organizations. Its members are CEOs representing over 150 major corporations. The BCC promotes neoliberal policies (including free trade agreements, corporate tax cuts, deregulation and austerity) and has played an influential role in public policy going back to the 1970s. It was formerly known as the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Business Council on National Issues.

The Energy Council of Canada (ECC) convenes energy interests throughout the country, providing a networking platform of executives in corporate and government spheres intent on influencing policy decisions. The ECC acts as the Canadian arm of the World Energy Council (WEC)—one of the world’s largest and longest running energy organizations.

The C.D. Howe Institute is a free-market-oriented think tank based in Toronto, and one of Canada’s oldest research institutes. Its predecessor, the Private Planning Association of Canada, was established in 1958 to study public economic policy, a mission that C.D. Howe has continued from its formal inception in 1973. The institute’s policy agenda now covers an array of topics, including tax policy, international economics, health care and energy.¹

The federal government is seeking to use a clause in the Paris Agreement on climate change to get emissions credits for exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asian countries. This plan is nonsensical for a number of reasons, but at its heart is the “big lie” that LNG will help to reduce global emissions. …

Canada has an uneasy history when it comes to fossil fuels and climate change. Our leaders have been great at setting far-off targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) or carbon emissions, then failing to meet them. As part of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, Canada committed to a 30-per-cent reduction in carbon emissions …

Alberta’s new premier, Jason Kenney, has wasted no time engaging in belligerent actions to “get Alberta’s resources to market.” Right off the bat he passed the “turn off the taps” bill to cut off BC’s supply of oil if the Province doesn’t reverse its stance opposing the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX). He also claimed …

The BC government’s new fiscal framework for LNG is fundamentally at odds with the province’s CleanBC climate plan. Details in the government agreement with LNG Canada show that BC is subsidizing fossil fuel production at a time when we need to keep it in the ground. The BC government made four major concessions in the …