To save democracy, ship our gas by William Watson
Appeared in The Financial Post on March 29, 2022
Gina's Thoughts
If the oil and gas that society wants and needs is not provided by Canada and Canadian companies, it will come from state-owned suppliers from such countries as Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Iran and Russia. We are seeing this play out in real life today. Columnist William Watson wants Canada to ship our gas to Europe to save democracy believing that if Europe becomes less dependent on Russian energy, they can be more aggressive in their support of democracy. Watson references an open letter to the Prime Minister from the Canadian Gas Association which states, “Canada has hundreds of years of natural gas supply, robust infrastructure, and industry expertise that meets the highest standards of corporate and environmental performance. We can do more for Europe and the world, and we want to. We are prepared to work with the Government of Canada on a plan to address global energy security and bring Canadian gas energy to those who need it.” However, Watson goes on to write: "Unfortunately, if your political platform is Green Net Zero, you have real trouble doing anything that appears to slow the transition away from fossil fuels. Stubbornly refusing to allow Canadian gas to replace Russian gas, even in devoutly green Europe, would be like refusing to use an effective COVID vaccine because Big Tobacco held a minority share in the company that developed it. It would be rigid, blinkered, “ideological” thinking of the kind the government supposedly disdains, preferring instead to make evidence-based decisions." It is time to follow the evidence and get more of Canada's oil and gas out to Europe and be a supplier of choice for Europe's energy demands.