Canadian Energy Strategy – Opinions from Alberta

Photo, courtesy Colleen De Neve

Roach: Even an imperfect energy strategy is worth pursuing

By Robert Roach, Calgary Herald September 26, 2012

With the exception of B.C.’s Christy Clark, Canada’s premiers recently agreed to create a new Canadian energy strategy. But what exactly is the purpose of a Canadian energy strategy?

The answer is, or at least it should be, simple: to maximize the benefits of Canada’s energy resources. A new and improved strategy is a critical step toward realizing the ambition of becoming, to borrow a phrase from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, an energy superpower.

This means selling as much of our energy as we can at the highest possible price while maintaining an efficient and reliable domestic energy system to meet the demands of Canadian industry and consumers.

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Photo, courtesy Sheldon Shumir Fou

Keeping: Albertans shouldn’t fear a greener economy

By Janet Keeping, Calgary Herald October 9, 2012

Re: “Even an imperfect energy strategy is worth pursuing,” Robert Roach, Opinion, Sept. 27.

Robert Roach’s piece raises many more questions than it answers and, sadly, shows us once again that the politics of fear and disrespect are alive in what passes for public debate on energy policy in Alberta.

Roach tells us that the purpose of a Canadian energy strategy should be “simple” — “to maximize the benefits of Canada’s energy resources.” But of course it is far from simple to say precisely what those benefits are.

To tell us, as Roach does, that a “new and improved strategy (it’s news to me that we had one to improve upon) is a critical step toward realizing the ambition of becoming ... an energy superpower,” doesn’t help at all. What in the world does the phrase “energy superpower” mean? It’s empty sloganeering meant to impress, not to inform.

According to Roach, Canada has to sell its energy “at the highest possible price,” which sounds reasonable enough. Who doesn’t think we should seek a good price? — until you ask, but what does “possible” mean? What are the constraints on our pursuit of the highest price? Roach says “while maintaining an efficient and reliable domestic energy system.”

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