Laurentian Elites

[jazz]

Good article in the NP today basically arguing that eastern policies are a direct way to restrain rising western economic and population power. Of course we all know that. Climate change is just the cover.

https://outline.com/WX5YEP Meet the Laurentian Elite, the mediocre masters of Canada

While 200 years ago, the periphery could be treated as a frontier to be managed, such an attitude today is fatal. The West now comprises almost a third of Canada’s population, compared with less than 23 per cent for Quebec, and the former is by far our most demographically dynamic region. Annual West-East fiscal transfers have run for decades and now total hundreds of billions of dollars. While Toronto finance is still formidable, and central Canada has more jobs in that sector (about 66 per cent) than its share of the population, corporate clout has shifted West, if slowed by the oil crash of 2014.

The Laurentian response to shifting population and money has been restrictive, envious and resentful, with ignorance and neglect replaced by targeted aggression. Under a cloak of green, the federal Liberals have written one generally supportive rulebook for economic development in the East, and a decidedly unfriendly one — including the West-Coast oil tanker ban and Bill C-69, the “no more pipelines” bill — for the West.

[chuckChuck]

How does that square with Trudeau buying the TMX to make sure it gets built? They are working on it now.

And the US is still holding up Keystone XL and Enbridge Line 3 which have nothing to do with Canadian politicians!

This east west divide has long been played for politics. Its a nice distraction in Alberta from having to explain how Alberta saved nothing from the last boom like Norway and Alaska have done.

Alberta runs its core services on one time resource revenues and offers low royalty rates for oil companies, low taxes for citizens and corporations and then complains about how it can't make ends meet?

Where are the true fiscal conservatives like Lougheed who knew enough to mange the boom and bust economy better and save something for the future?

[jazz]

How does that square with Trudeau buying the TMX to make sure it gets built? They are working on it now.

And the US is still holding up Keystone XL and Enbridge Line 3 which have nothing to do with Canadian politicians!

Do you have an evidence that the article is not true?

TMX started in AB. The bottleneck is in BC when it starts crossing opposition lands and the terminal at Burnaby. Until that thing is flowing oil on to tankers, it is not built. Trudeau doesn't care about money, he knows it will get stalled there in BC and he hopes he will get a majority and then kill it. If you are willing to blow 100B for votes, whats another 7B between crooks.

XL and L3 only proceeded because they cross the border in western provinces. Had those been lines that went into BC or Ont/Que they would be dead projects right now.

[chuckChuck]

Do you have an evidence that the article is not true?

TMX started in AB. The bottleneck is in BC when it starts crossing opposition lands and the terminal at Burnaby. Until that thing is flowing oil on to tankers, it is not built. Trudeau doesn't care about money, he knows it will get stalled there in BC and he hopes he will get a majority and then kill it. If you are willing to blow 100B for votes, whats another 7B between crooks.

XL and L3 only proceeded because they cross the border in western provinces. Had those been lines that went into BC or Ont/Que they would be dead projects right now.

If Trudeau wanted to kill it the easiest way would have been to not buy it. Why spend $4 billion on a project when he could have just walked away and let it die on its own?
Their is resistance to pipelines in the US and Canada. Nebraska is largely a rural republican state. Yet they wanted a different route for Keystone because of concerns over a sensitive aquifer.
You need to cut through the partisan political fog. Blaming Trudeau is easy. looking at the facts is hard and doesn’t tell the same story as some western premiers want to spin.

[blackpowder]

We are not treated as equals. Full stop.

[chuckChuck]

Incomes are higher than average and GDP per capita is higher in Alberta than the rest of Canada. That doesn’t seem like a place that is being treated as second class.

Alberta and Saskatchewan with smaller populations will never have the political power of Quebec and Ontario. That does not make you less than equal.

The Liberals and Conservatives keep taking turns at governing.

The Conservatives will return to power some day unless they spit the vote between moderate conservatives and the various factions on the right.

If the world price of oil was still high none of this western alienation would be an issue.

People are looking for someone to blame for the bust.

[bobofthenorth]

If Trudeau wanted to kill it the easiest way would have been to not buy it. Why spend $4 billion on a project when he could have just walked away and let it die on its own?

And you know that would have happened because ...............

Its equally if not more plausible that some other buyer would have eventually appeared - although not at the stupidly high price Skippy agreed to. That could have been another pipeline player or some native consortium. Either way the project would have at least had a chance of getting built. By throwing away more of our money to buy it Skippy & Co could guarantee it will never get built. Easy decision if you have no conscience.

[jazz]

If Trudeau wanted to kill it the easiest way would have been to not buy it. Why spend $4 billion on a project when he could have just walked away and let it die on its own?
Their is resistance to pipelines in the US and Canada. Nebraska is largely a rural republican state. Yet they wanted a different route for Keystone because of concerns over a sensitive aquifer.
You need to cut through the partisan political fog. Blaming Trudeau is easy. looking at the facts is hard and doesn’t tell the same story as some western premiers want to spin.

He bought both pipelines, so the feds nationalized infrastructure coopting private revenues and chasing other similar companies out, with the intent to kill the twinning by endless stalling using courts and useful idiots to advance the challenges.

Now they can hold whoever ships on that line to some bogus carbon standard and then crow about climate change policy.

All part of the fake drama virtue signalling neutering the west.

[blackpowder]

Well of course, who better to run a business than a govt? $4B is chump change to what they're wasting elsewhere. He was buying Western votes. It backfired.
JTs bills speak for themselves.
The feds record with QC is for all to see. Much bigger than oil.

[chuckChuck]

He bought both pipelines, so the feds nationalized infrastructure coopting private revenues and chasing other similar companies out, with the intent to kill the twinning by endless stalling using courts and useful idiots to advance the challenges.

Now they can hold whoever ships on that line to some bogus carbon standard and then crow about climate change policy.

All part of the fake drama virtue signalling neutering the west.

They are planning to sell it to the private sector. Or they could keep it as it will be a money maker.

[jazz]

They are planning to sell it to the private sector. Or they could keep it as it will be a money maker.

Natives are not the private sector.

[blackpowder]

Why did they have to step in and buy it in the first place?
Why will it be the last pipe laid in Canada?
Why are we the most expensive country to get anything done?

[STR1]

Its a nice distraction in Alberta from having to explain how Alberta saved nothing from the last boom like Norway and Alaska have done.


Norway and Alaska never had to transfer all their profits to other states or countries...........hence there is where Albertas savings went “equalization”.

[Hamloc]

How does that square with Trudeau buying the TMX to make sure it gets built? They are working on it now.

And the US is still holding up Keystone XL and Enbridge Line 3 which have nothing to do with Canadian politicians!

This east west divide has long been played for politics. Its a nice distraction in Alberta from having to explain how Alberta saved nothing from the last boom like Norway and Alaska have done.

Alberta runs its core services on one time resource revenues and offers low royalty rates for oil companies, low taxes for citizens and corporations and then complains about how it can't make ends meet?

Where are the true fiscal conservatives like Lougheed who knew enough to mange the boom and bust economy better and save something for the future?

There are some things we agree on, some we disagree. I agree it is a big mistake to spend all resource revenues on core services but I think lower royalties are justified due to the greater cost of getting our oil to market. Unfortunately the majority of Albertan's refuse to entertain increasing tax rates so that energy royalties can be put away to benefit future generations.

[Oliver88]

There has been a sense of jealousy ever since the oil sector became the engine of the Canadian economy. Petroleum and resources are beneath the Laurentian elites so something has to happen before Western Canada is too strong financially and politically.

Equalization payments to Crybeck
Bill C-48
Bill C-69 No Pipelines Bill
Carbon tax