Mac Olsen
What sweet words they were when President Donald Trump announced on June 1 – the U.S. is pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, also known as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
“As President, I can put no other consideration before the wellbeing of American citizens. The Paris Climate Accord is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries – leaving American workers – who I love – and taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories and vastly diminished economic production.
“Thus, as of today, the United States will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris Accord and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country.”
This is part of Trump’s America First agenda, which is fine with me.
But he certainly has the right pronouncements about the unnecessary economic burden that this accord imposes on developed countries like the U.S.
Trump went on to say that he wants to renegotiate the accord with other governments. However, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany have denounced his decision and said there will be no renegotiation of the accord.
Catherine McKenna, our federal Environment and Climate Change Minister, laments Trump’s decision to pull out.
“While Canada is deeply disappointed that the United States has chosen to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, we remain steadfast in our commitment to work with our global partners to address climate change and promote clean growth,” the minister said in a news release.
“It is the right thing to do for future generations and will create good jobs as we grow clean economy.”
However, it’s time for the federal government and our provincial government to end their ‘climate change’ propaganda and agenda, and stop their needless and irrational pursuit of carbon tax policies.
I’d like the federal minister to explain how ‘green jobs’ are supposed to replace high-paying petroleum industry jobs and manufacturing jobs that our country has had for generations.
I want her to explain how the economic and financial burden of a proposed federal carbon tax, and the money that our taxpayers send to other countries, will benefit future generations of Canadians.
It’s future generations of Canadians that will be stuck with the reckless choices that her Liberal government has made.
I say the same thing to Premier Rachel Notley. I want her to justify her government’s carbon tax, to prove that it’s going to deliver a cleaner environment.
Governments, at all levels, always make promises about programs and the related taxation, that they will be beneficial for society in the long run.
But as we have seen throughout history, such as the GST, taxes do nothing except take money away from hard-working Canadians and lower their standards of living.
Proposed and enacted taxation policies are always oversold and they come up short on their intended goals and outcomes.
No. Moving us to a ‘green economy’ is not the answer, and nor is destroying the economy of manufacturing and petroleum industry jobs that we have now.
I agree that Canadians and businesses can always do more to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution. That includes using energy efficient light bulbs, encouraging and utilizing municipal transit where it’s convenient, employing solar panels for things like street lights and highway signs, and expanding the types of materials that can be recycled.
But we don’t have to destroy our petroleum-based economy and civilization to protect the environment. We can have both; they can and do work together for the mutual benefit of society.
In the end, switching to a ‘green economy’ is nothing more than a reckless adventure into the unknown. The imposition of burdens like the Paris Climate Accord will only put an undue burden on the Canadian economy in the long run, including Alberta’s petroleum industry.
That’s what I do not want for future generations of Canadians.
So, kudos to President Donald Trump for his decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord.
Now it’s Canada’s turn to do the same. Let’s keep the momentum going.