Chris Clegg
Last week in this publication we published a survey conducted by the Montreal Economic Institute-Ipsos showing that a majority of Quebec residents favour advancing the development of fresh oil and gas pipelines aimed at suppling Europe and Asia.
These pipelines would be built from the West – mostly Alberta! – to help fuel a worldwide growing desire for energy. Nationwide results revealed that 67 per cent of responders across Canada favour the development of oil and gas pipelines to Eastern and Western Canadian ports for exporting purposes. In Quebec, a significant proportion of 61 per cent share this sentiment.
There is an interesting tie to this locally. It turns out this sentiment has existed in Quebec for a long time. This survey revealed nothing new.
The tie? The Federation of Canadian Municipalities held its annual convention in Quebec City May 30 to June 2, 2019. Big Lakes County literally sent a baseball team to Quebec City at much expense to local taxpayers. In part, they were going to help straighten out those Quebecers on pipelines. We were going to educate them and make them a lot smarter!
This publication was against sending the Big Lakes County baseball team to Quebec but off they went. We predicted they would not make a difference.
How did that turn out?
The answer: how many new pipelines have been built or are being built to Eastern Canada as we speak?
And we never even got a decent report from Big Lakes County on what actually happened in La Belle Province!
The question we need to ask is why and the answer isn’t so surprising. In most matters, when you want to look at the reason why things occur politically, it is because someone is making a lot of money.
Look no further than the Liberal party and its business connections. It is no secret former Liberal leaders and prime ministers have connections to shipping companies. The very companies that make a lot of money shipping Middle East oil to Canada despite the fact we have plenty of it here. Why upset the apple cart?
Does no one find it odd that the average Quebecer realizes this, but the political power brokers do not? The fact is, of course they do, but there is money to be made and the wishes of the people be damned, in addition to the economic prosperity the energy industry provides this country.
We are blessed to live in a very prosperous country. Many call it an embarrassment of riches. We are the envy of many in the world.
But think how much better off we would be if we did not have multiple levels of government robbing us at the same time.
Indeed, absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is scary to realize how little federal politicians really care about what’s best for our country.