While public attention is elsewhere oil and gas industry takes advantage | Starr’s Point
The waning of concern about climate change may also be because Canada
has so far dodged many of the bullets climate change usually fires in
our direction. Events like 100-degree Fahrenheit temperatures in Siberia
or inferno-level 54 Celsius (130F) in Death Valley, California, seem
less threatening if there are no headlines about fires, floods and
hurricanes in this country. Until smoke from the west coast fires began
drifting east this week, this summer’s drought in New Brunswick and
parts of Nova Scotia was about the worst of it for Canadians.
has so far dodged many of the bullets climate change usually fires in
our direction. Events like 100-degree Fahrenheit temperatures in Siberia
or inferno-level 54 Celsius (130F) in Death Valley, California, seem
less threatening if there are no headlines about fires, floods and
hurricanes in this country. Until smoke from the west coast fires began
drifting east this week, this summer’s drought in New Brunswick and
parts of Nova Scotia was about the worst of it for Canadians.
But while good luck and the pandemic pushed climate change down the
issues agenda, the federal government’s economic response to COVID-19
also provided cover for more subsidies to the oil and gas industry. In
April, the feds gave $1.7 billion to clean up abandoned wells in Alberta
and its two neighbouring provinces, and $750 million for emissions
reduction measures, costs that should be borne by the industry. The
Liberals also offered expanded credit support for small and medium-sized
energy companies through the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
and Export Development Canada (EDC).
