Energy is essential. Reliable and affordable energy is the single most important element underpinning humanity’s progress over the past three centuries. It seems a ridiculous thing to have to state unequivocally, like in an elementary school science class. But in Canada, some of our political leaders appear to have forgotten this basic fact.
They’ve instead chosen to play politics with energy – both with how we produce it and how you use it at home.
The most reliable and affordable energy we produce in Canada continues to be oil and natural gas. And for well over a decade, a vocal minority of aggressive activists have been pressuring governments across the country to keep Canadian natural gas and oil in the ground. Protests have been organized against every major energy project whether approved or simply proposed.
New policies attempting to limit the sector from growing are announced before the ink on the previous attempts has had a chance to dry. The result: we’ve created a situation where Canada struggles to build, well, anything.
For much of the past decade, many Canadians have been unaware of just how critical Canada’s natural gas and oil industry is. Even though more Canadians continue to support the industry than oppose it, countering a fervent, and well-funded activist movement has been a challenge. Unless you are directly employed by the industry or know someone who is, it can be a difficult ask, as most have felt they are not directly impacted by its success or by the policies targeting the sector.
But the times, they are a-changin’. Canadians are starting to wake up to the serious problems we’ve created for ourselves, and governments around the world are beginning to walk back net-zero pledges as the reality of our indispensable need for energy hits home.
In September, United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak announced a sweeping rollback of net-zero initiatives. When making the announcement, he made it a priority to emphasize how it cannot be right to “impose such significant costs on working people, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet, and to interfere so much in people’s way of life without a properly informed national debate”.
In Canada, we haven’t had a proper debate on our policy prescriptions. We’ve chosen to label and demonize any who raise the issues of costs and trade-offs as ‘deniers’ and shouted them down.
Unfortunately, for Canadians, the consequences of our insular political worldview are starting to hit hard. The carbon tax continues to rise annually, costing you more to take your family to school and to keep them warm. New fuel standards are now costing you more at the pump as well. Green building codes being proposed are adding costs to housing during one of the country’s most intense housing crises. And the government’s new electricity mandates aim to eliminate natural gas fired electricity in Canada which risks our grid’s reliability and will most certainly increase costs.
These are regressive policies that are punishing Canada’s working class.
Enter Energy United, a new grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to promoting common-sense energy and environmental policy in Canada. What is common-sense energy policy? It is policy that actually balances environmental protection with economic development (remember that promise?).
Canada’s scales are no longer balanced. We need a recalibration – and we need it fast.
To get Canada building again, we at Energy United will be pushing governments across the country to implement policies which will grow and strengthen our economy, create mortgage-paying jobs for Canadians, and yes, protect our environment.
But we need your help.
The professional activists have been the ones framing the debate and picking the policies of government. With your support, we can change the country’s conversation, have a truly national debate, and help move Canada forward.
Energy is essential and we’re taking ours for granted.
Global oil demand will hit a record high this year. The demand for natural gas continues growing exponentially – countries have been signing long-term agreements through 2050 to ensure secure supplies. Even coal demand continues its resilience. Because the reality is fossil fuels are essential to creating reliable and affordable energy.
At Energy United, we believe Canada (and the world) will need all forms of energy to meet growing global demand. This includes wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and of course, oil and natural gas. Canada can no longer afford to pick winners and losers.
The Canadian government has been trying to force you to change your behavior for nearly a decade. Although many of us may want to, the technology just isn’t ready for us to make the leap. And that’s okay. The cost of solar panels remains far out of reach for many, and our large, dispersed population makes winter driving a necessity.
Energy United is here to push for a better path. One that promotes technology, not taxes. A path that celebrates Canada’s energy resources and doesn’t demonize them. Most importantly, it puts you and your family first.
If Canada chooses to stay on its current road, the world will be less energy secure, our economy will shrink, Canada will lose jobs, and you’ll have less leftover.
Join Energy United to push for a better path.
