AB gov't challenging federal Net-Zero regulations

The Alberta government is adding a constitutional challenge of the interim Net Zero regulations to the multiple court challenges they have filed against the federal government.

 

Danielle Smith in 2011. Photo by Dave Cournoyer. CC BY-SA 2/0, Wikimedia Commons.

Alberta to Challenge Constitutionality of Ottawa’s Net-Zero Electricity Regulations | Epoch Times | Carolina Avendano:

May 1, 2025 - "Alberta is taking Ottawa to the province’s Court of Appeal over the federal government’s net-zero electricity regulations, arguing the rules overstep provincial jurisdiction and could drive up costs while increasing the risk of power outages. The province announced the legal action during a press conference on May 1, where Premier Danielle Smith described it as 'another step to protect Albertans’ livelihoods' from federal policies the province says 'threaten' the reliability of its electrical grid and could increase electricity prices by 35 percent....

"The Clean Electricity Regulations are part of Ottawa’s plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. They set limits on carbon dioxide emissions for generation units that use fossil fuels, with the stated aim of achieving a low-carbon economy 'at the pace and scale needed to drive clean growth, strengthen our competitiveness and attract more major investments.' 

"The federal government last December shifted its target for a fully decarbonized electricity grid from 2035 to 2050.... Meanwhile, the current framework, finalized in December 2024, provides interim targets generators must meet by 2035, which Smith has also called 'unreasonable and unattainable,' arguing they 'will still make electricity unaffordable for Canadian families.'  

"Ottawa says the regulations are needed to protect the environment and human health from the effects of climate change. 'Cutting pollution in communities across the country is good for our climate, economy, health, and well-being,' said the government in December 2024.... 

"During her May 1 address, Smith cited an analysis by the Alberta Electric System Operator, which suggests the net-zero electricity regulations would make the province’s electricity system more than 100 times less reliable than the provincial adequacy standard by 2038. The report also suggests the federal regulations 'will fail to deliver meaningful reductions in carbon emissions in Alberta'....

"Alberta currently relies on natural gas for 75 percent of its power generation, according to provincial estimates. The premier has previously said the province has a 'quicker and cheaper' alternative solution to achieve a carbon neutral power grid by 2050, but that it would require Ottawa to give up attempts to 'interfere' in Alberta’s governance..... The province has filed multiple court challenges against Ottawa, many of them related to federal climate policies. 

"'Canada’s constitution is absolutely clear,' [Alberta Justice Minister Mickey] Amery said at the May 1 press conference. “The provinces have exclusive jurisdiction over the development, conservation, and management of sites for the generation and production of electrical energy.' Ottawa says the regulations are established under the authorities of the Canada Environmental Protection Act, 1999, which provides legislative basis for certain federal environmental and health protection programs."

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/alberta-to-challenge-constitutionality-of-ottawas-net-zero-electricity-regulations-5850893

US, Canadian banks leaving UN Net Zero alliance

This year six major U.S. banks, and four of the Big Five Canadian banks, have announced plans to leave the UN-sponsored Net-Zero Banking Alliance. 

Banks quit Carney’s net zero alliance. Giving up net zero ideology should be next | Financial Post | Gina Pappano:

January 28, 2025 - "In November, InvestNow, the not-for-profit of which I’m executive director, submitted shareholder proposals to Canada’s Big Five banks asking them to exit both the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) and the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) ... two interrelated, UN-sponsored, and Mark Carney-led organizations whose members pledge to align their lending, investment and other activities with decarbonization goals, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. As I wrote in these pages in December, 'Canadian banks should not pursue political or ideological goals at the expense of fiduciary ones. And they shouldn’t shun oil and gas.'

"Well, fast forward to January.... Six of the biggest U.S. banks have all announced they’re leaving the NZBA and four of the Big Five Canadian banks — BMO, CIBC,  Scotiabank and TD — have followed suit. Also, in perhaps the biggest defection of all, BlackRock has left the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative (NZAMI) — the asset management arm of the GFANZ. It is ironic that in the week Mark Carney announced his run for Liberal party leader, his most cherished project collapsed.

"Why have these banks fled the net zero alliances en masse? In the U.S., at least, it likely has to do with the new administration having indicated an interest in investigating ESG (environmental, social and governance) lending and investing practices as potentially constituting a fraud against shareholders and the economy.

"The U.S. banks have also been accused of collusion by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, on the grounds that their net zero policies, including divestment from oil, gas, and coal, have contributed to the big rise in energy prices since 2020. The committee found 'substantial evidence that a climate cartel of financial institutions' had engaged in 'anticompetitive collusion' by demanding that companies 'disclose, reduce and enforce' their net zero climate commitments....

"Both the American and Canadian banks have stressed that leaving NZBA won’t affect their net zero commitments or their determination to help achieve a 'net zero global economy,' which means drastically reducing oil and gas production and consumption over a very short period....

"Canadian banks should take what is happening in the U.S. as a warning. Maintaining their singular focus on decarbonization to achieve net zero leaves them open to charges of collusion, too. The real-world effect of their favoured policy is to eliminate oil and gas, one of Canada’s most productive and prosperity-creating sectors. Its elimination would be bad for bank shareholders and customers, industry in general, the economy and our entire country. Their continuing down this ideological path, which runs contrary to the interest of shareholders and the public alike, should prompt further investigation.

"InvestNow applauds the banks in both countries for exiting the net zero alliances as a first step towards moving past the madness of 'Net Zero by 2050.' But the fact that they remain committed to decarbonization, to net zero, and to the effective end of our natural resource sector demonstrates that our work is not done. Our banks need to ditch ideology and get back to serving the people of Canada and their interests."

Read more: https://financialpost.com/opinion/opinion-banks-quit-carneys-net-zero-alliance-zero-ideology

Canadian Banks ABANDON Carney’s Net Zero UN Plan in SHOCKING Move | The Elev8 Podcast | January 18, 2025:

A common-sense climate policy for Canada

Graphic courtesy C2C Journal.

A common-sense climate policy for Canada | True North | Robert Lyman:

November 30, 2024 - "As the Conservatives prepare to take on the responsibility of governing, they must articulate a climate strategy ... that balances economic growth with practical environmental measures. Canada cannot afford to continue along the Justin Trudeau government’s path, prioritizing unrealistic, ideologically driven net-zero targets. The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act  ... requir[es] an overhaul of the economy’s energy system, including the role of fossil fuels. Hydrocarbons currently supply 73 percent of Canada’s energy needs, underpinning essential services like heating, transportation and manufacturing. Eliminating these barely 25 years from now is not just ambitious—it is effectively impossible.

"The costs of these policies are already apparent. Carbon taxes and emissions regulations have driven up energy prices and housing costs, exacerbating Canada’s affordability crisis. According to the Fraser Institute, the federal government’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan could add $55,000 to the average cost of a new home. This comes as federal spending on climate measures reaches $20 billion annually, with the broader economic cost of net-zero estimated at $60 billion per year. These sacrifices are pointless; Canada contributes only 1.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.... 

"Canadians are increasingly aware of the resulting financial and social burdens. Young people, seniors and working families feel the squeeze as energy and housing become less affordable. Adding to the frustration is Canada’s consistent failure to meet its international climate commitments. Unrealistic targets breed cynicism, especially when paired with negligible global impact. A newly elected Poilievre government might be tempted to take a reactionary approach that cancelled all climate measures. But this would be neither politically viable nor responsible.... 

"Instead, Canada should follow a pragmatic middle path, one inspired by the Copenhagen Consensus — a cost-benefit-driven approach that prioritizes technological innovation and adaptation over punitive measures. A reimagined Canadian climate policy would shift away from utopian targets and timelines. The net-zero goal, according to scientists aligned with the Copenhagen Consensus model, should be postponed to 2070 or even 2100, recognizing the long timelines required for energy transitions. Rather than subordinating everything to emissions reduction, the Conservatives should pursue a combined policy that aims to optimize economic growth, energy security, environmental quality and social cohesion....

"Governments should abandon attempts to 'pick winners' through subsidies or mandates, focusing instead on funding basic research and development.... Developing and commercializing new technologies at an organic pace is the most effective path toward meaningful emissions reductions. Equally important is the emphasis on adaptation and resilience. Climate policies should focus on protecting communities and infrastructure from immediate risks like flooding and extreme weather....

"A common-sense climate policy would also recognize Canada’s vast oil and natural gas reserves as assets rather than liabilities. Current regulations like the 2035 Clean Electricity mandate and the recently announced 'cap' on oil and gas emissions (actually, a draconian 35-percent reduction) undermine Canada’s energy security and economic stability. Revising or repealing these measures would ensure that the country’s resources contribute to both domestic needs and export markets.

"Reforms are urgently needed at the regulatory level to streamline environmental assessments and reduce delays in major projects, housing construction and capital investment, including the following:

1. Federal environmental reviews currently take years, sometimes over a decade.... Simplifying these processes while maintaining rigorous environmental standards would promote job creation and economic growth.
2. To address Canada’s housing crisis, federal climate-driven building mandates that inflate construction costs must be reconsidered.... 
3. Harmonizing Canada’s regulatory frameworks with those of the United States would facilitate cross-border trade and reduce compliance costs for industries.... While Canada should not blindly follow its neighbour’s lead, close alignment on key standards is the pragmatic choice.

"Finally, fostering federal-provincial harmony is essential. The Trudeau era has been marked by discord, with provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan bearing disproportionate burdens from federal policies. A collaborative approach that respects regional differences would not only improve governance but rebuild trust in the federation."

Read more: https://tnc.news/2024/11/30/lyman-a-common-sense-climate-policy-for-canada/

The original, full-length version of this article was recently published in C2C Journal.
https://c2cjournal.ca/2024/11/net-gain-a-common-sense-climate-change-policy-for-canada/

Harris has much to answer for in EV fiasco

When it comes to the Biden administration's EV fiasco, vice-president Kamala Harris will have much to answer for — if the media ever gets around to asking.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in May 2023. Photo by Joe Biden. Wikimedia Commons.

Continuing EV Bloodbath Leaves Harris With A Lot To Answer For | Todayville | David Blackmon, Daily Caller News Foundation:

July 2024 - "Once the ongoing effort by the legacy media to reinvent presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris as a dynamic leader and competent campaigner passes, we will presumably enter the part of the presidential race in which we actually examine her real record on the key issues. When — or if — that time ever arrives, the vice president will have a lot to explain where energy policy is concerned.... Today, I will address Harris’s advocacy for electric vehicles and buses, and the expanding bloodbath it has helped to create.

"Let’s begin with a speech Harris delivered in Brandywine, Maryland on December 13, 2021 ... to an audience including Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, assorted Maryland officeholders, and workers at the Brandywine Highway Maintenance Facility.... [T]he vice president delivered a ringing endorsement of electric vehicles and her administration’s plans to try to subsidize them into automotive market dominance. ''The pollution from vehicles powered by fossil fuels has long harmed the health of communities around our country,' Harris said.

But there is a solution to this problem.... That means manufacturing millions of electric cars, trucks, and buses right here in our country. That means outfitting thousands of EV — electric vehicle — repair garages, just like this one. And it means installing a national network of EV chargers.

"That speech took place after congress had enacted the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act containing more than $200 billion in clean energy subsidies. Congress passed the Orwellian-named Inflation Reduction Act and its $369 billion in similar subsidies eight months later. 

"How has all that worked out for America three years down the road?... [E]very pure play EV maker in the U.S. is now either in bankruptcy or teetering on the brink. Ford reported ... that its EV division, Ford Model e, lost about $50,000 per unit sold during the second quarter, and that was the best quarterly result the company has reported in over a year. Even Tesla ... started the year with a pair of disappointing quarterly results amid rapidly slowing consumer demand for electric vehicles.

"The Biden-Harris dreams of subsidizing a national fleet of high-speed EV chargers into existence has also come up a crapper. The Washington Post and others reported in April that Granholm’s Energy Department has invested a whopping $7.5 billion to install 5,000 such charging stations around the country but had only managed to activate 7 to that point.

"Harris also endorsed a $5 billion EPA-managed program included in the Infrastructure law to fund the adoption of battery electric buses for targeted school systems around the country.... EPA has released two tranches of federal grants totaling $1.9 billion, but to disappointing results. Of the 389 school districts targeted by the grants, just 23 have reported successful acquisition of a total of 60 buses that have been placed into service. But another 50 of those districts have since withdrawn from consideration by the program....

"IRA subsidies for EV city buses have created perhaps the worst set of boondoggles of all. The electric buses are so costly, require such high maintenance and have such limited charging ranges that even extremely liberal cities like Austin, Texas  and Jackson, Wyoming have quit trying to change over their fleets. The 2023 bankruptcy of heavily subsidized Proterra, the biggest EV bus maker, hasn’t helped.

"It is hard to identify any aspect of the Biden-Harris suite of EV-related policies that can honestly be called a success. As her party’s apparent nominee, Harris will have much to answer for — that is, if the media ever gets around to asking the relevant questions."

Read more: https://www.todayville.com/continuing-ev-bloodbath-leaves-harris-with-a-lot-to-answer-for/

Parks Canada denied firefighters entry to Jasper

A parliamentary committee was told this week that private firefighters who had driven to Jasper National Park to fight the July wildfire were turned away by Parks Canada.

Properties engulfed in fire in Jasper, July 27, 2024. Radio Canada.

Parks Canada firefighting coordination decisions 'need to be made a lot quicker': fire services contractor | CTV News | Jeremy Thompson & Craig Ellingson:

October 8, 2024 - "A private firefighting service provider says crews contracted to work to protect buildings in and around the town of Jasper during July's wildfire emergency were denied entry to the national park for most of a day. Kris Liivam, the president of Arctic Fire Safety Services, says unclear communication from emergency managers hampered efforts by his crews, who thought they had written permission to enter the national park on July 25, the day after a powerful wildfire destroyed a third of the townsite but with the fire risk still high despite heavy rain.

"At the time, a small Arctic Fire Safety Services crew was already in Jasper, under contract to provincial Alberta Wildfire, working to protect the town. Meanwhile, in Hinton, more of Liivan's team was trying to enter the park -- more than a dozen trucks and about 50 firefighters who had been hired to protect specific properties including Marmot Basin, the Jasper Sky Tram and several hotels.

"'We thought we had everything in place, for permission to go in,' Liivan told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday. 'Once we got to the first RCMP stop, we were denied entry and we had to turn around and head back to Hinton.'

"Liivam recently voiced his frustrations to a parliamentary committee looking into the Jasper wildfire, telling it his crews 'encountered numerous examples of Parks Canada fire management actively obstructing our activities and not providing us with relevant information on the fire.'

"A Parks Canada spokesperson says ... [that] 'they were eventually allowed in with specific instructions, and helped to fight the fire, which could have had far worse consequences without this swift and effective handling.'"

Read more: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/parks-canada-firefighting-coordination-decisions-need-to-be-made-a-lot-quicker-fire-services-contractor-1.7067145

Shocking new Jasper wildfire revelations put blame on Parks Canada | True North | October 10, 2024:

How the tragic Jasper wildfire turned into just another political weapon | Calgary Herald | Don Braid: 

October 8, 2024 - "The great Jasper wildfire of July and August simmers on.... Over two weeks, MPs have been sniping at each other in meetings of a parliamentary committee on environment and sustainable development....

"Throughout, federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault [has] claimed that Ottawa could not have done better either before or during the fire. At any suggestion that Ottawa was lacking, he trotted out climate change as the true culprit. It was clear more than once that a big ugly fire in Alberta is a great boost for his climate agenda. Focusing on climate also turned minds away from serious questions about Ottawa’s performance as the power in charge of both prevention and firefighting. 

"For instance, why was a convoy of firefighters with 20 trucks turned away from the park gate like tourists who can’t afford a pass? That actually happened. Private firefighter Kristopher Liivam testified that his crew wasn’t there on spec. There had been discussions with officials. They clearly understood they would be admitted. But Parks Canada turned firefighters away from a fire. That was three days after the fire began, just as things were getting really dangerous.

"Alberta deputy premier Mike Ellis, who spoke to the hearing, said in an interview Tuesday that he was 'very concerned' to hear about the episode. 'Certainly, our position would be that we wouldn’t be turning away anybody' if Alberta had been part of joint command.... Denied any authority, Alberta needed federal permission to bring in helicopters, water bombers, surveillance drones, bulldozers and other equipment. The refusal to grant joint command was both bizarre and churlish."

Read more: https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/braid-jasper-wildfire-political-weapon

United Nations adopts Pact for the Future

On September 22, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted to adopt the Pact for the Future, which aims to "transform global governance" by turning the UN into a vastly more powerful "UN 2.0".

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses opening of the Summit of the Future.. UN Photo/Loey Felipe.

New UN “Pact for the Future” Turbocharges Globalism | New American | Alex Newman:

September 23, 2024 - "Governments and dictators from around the world gathered in New York and adopted a sprawling agreement to expand and further empower the United Nations. The controversial declaration approved by the UN General Assembly, known as the 'Pact for the Future,' is seen by the UN and its member governments as a great leap forward for the cause of globalism.... [T]he UN is becoming 'UN 2.0,' as top leaders of the organization put it. However, in the United States, at least, lawmakers, governors, and grassroots leaders are growing increasingly restless about what they perceive as a historic power grab.... 

"According to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, former leader of the world’s preeminent alliance of socialist and communist political parties, the UN Summit of the Future represents 'an essential first step towards making global institutions more legitimate, effective, and fit for the world of today and tomorrow.... We can’t create a future fit for our grandchildren with systems built for our grandparents,' continued Guterres, a line that was printed out on giant signs throughout UN headquarters.... 'We recognize that the multilateral system and its institutions, with the United Nations and its Charter at the center, must be strengthened to keep pace with a changing world,' reads the Pact for the Future.... 'We renew our commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation,' the Pact adds. 'We will transform global governance and strengthen the multilateral system'....

"The term 'global governance,' often used as a less-ominous placeholder for global government, is mentioned repeatedly throughout the document, always as something positive to be advanced. Under the heading 'transforming global governance,' for instance, the pact calls for a dramatic expansion of these mechanisms for governing all of humanity.... One of the institutions that received a shoutout is the would-be global Supreme Court known as the 'International Court of Justice,' often ridiculed by critics as a 'kangaroo court'. 'We will fulfil our obligation to comply with the decisions and uphold the mandate of the International Court of Justice,' the Pact states.

"Another area where the UN hopes to expand its power is on taxation, vowing to 'explore options' for 'international cooperation' on taxes and in particular, on taxing 'high net worth' individuals. 'We are committed to strengthening the inclusiveness and effectiveness of tax cooperation at the United Nations,' the UN deal explains, one of many efforts to eventually implement global taxation....

"One of the major tools to help the UN 'renew' trust in globalism is controlling information, as the pact makes clear. It calls on governments to 'address' so-called 'disinformation, misinformation, hate speech and content inciting harm, including content disseminated through digital platforms'.... It is not just restricting information.... A confidential memo sent to communications executives across the UN system earlier this year and obtained by The New American magazine included provisions on how to propagandize humanity on the Summit of the Future and its agenda. 'The Summit of the Future is a pivotal moment on our agenda,' the memo said, adding that the UN Department of Global Communications 'wants to make sure we take the media with us – starting with briefs on specific parts of the agenda.' One way the UN has done that is by partnering with Google to hide information contrary to its narratives, especially on issues such as climate....

"One of the major power grabs in the final agreement inked this weekend involves the UN response to what it describes as 'complex global shocks.' These could be anything from 'climate' issues or economic problems to environmental crises or even unpredictable “black swan” events. Under a proposal outlined in a policy brief dubbed 'Our Common Future' released by UN boss Guterres last year, Guterres himself would essentially become a global dictator to deal with real or imagined international emergencies, declared at his discretion. The proposal called for nations, business, and all sectors of society to recognize the 'primary role of intergovernmental organs [such as U.N. agencies] in decision-making.' While the final agreement this week did not contain everything he asked for, it did provide a 'mandate' from member states for Guterres to pursue the agenda vigorously.... 

"UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a recipe for global tyranny adopted in 2015 as the 'master plan for humanity,' was a focal point of the new deal. 'We reaffirm our enduring commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals,' the new agreement states, vowing to 'urgently accelerate' its implementation with “concrete political steps” and more tax money. As part of that, the UN claims it needs virtually limitless amounts of power and money to do everything from 'eradicate poverty' and 'eliminate food insecurity' to deal with alleged man-made 'climate change' and reduce 'inequality' both 'within' and 'among' countries".... 

"Already, more than half of U.S. governors have publicly pledged to resist UN dictates in their respective states. Meanwhile, for the first time, Congress currently has bills to end U.S. involvement in the UN in both houses of Congress: House Bill 6645 and Senate Bill 3428, both labeled the 'DEFUND Act.' There has been virtually no coverage of the UN summit or the pact from the establishment media in the United States — and that is no doubt by design. If and when Americans learn what the UN is up to, Congress would be compelled by a public outcry to stop funding it all at the very least."

Read more: https://thenewamerican.com/world-news/un/new-un-pact-for-the-future-turbocharges-globalism/

Read UN news release:  https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/09/1154581

Corporate Canada lost Faustian climate bargain

With the passage of Bill C-59, which outlaws "greenwashing" claims, Corporate Canada has lost its climate bargain with the Trudeau government, writes Bruce Pardy.

Corporate Canada betrayed capitalism. Now it has been betrayed | National Post | Bruce Pardy:

July 5, 2024 - "After years of colluding with climate hysteria and betraying capitalism, Canadian companies have been dumped at the curb. On June 20, Bill C-59 received Royal Assent. It’s a hodgepodge bill of humdrum provisions, hundreds of pages long.... But buried in the stack are two sections that prohibit 'greenwashing.' Businesses cannot claim that their products or practices help to protect against climate change or provide other environmental benefits unless they can prove the claims are true. The provisions amend the Competition Act and make climate and other environmental claims subject to the same regulatory regime as false advertising.

"Companies and industry associations have taken down climate pledges and environmental commitments from their websites and social media. 'Ottawa’s ban on "greenwashing" has already put a chill on climate disclosure targets,' objected Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, in a commentary for CTV. It will affect the entire economy, she wrote, add bureaucratic burden, halt investment, and weigh on Canada’s sagging productivity. Corporate Canada has lost its climate bargain.

"Over the course of decades, Western countries, but nowhere more than Canada, have undergone a cultural revolution. Accelerating climate activism, aggressive social justice ideology and managerial government have changed the landscape. Business elites, instead of defending capitalism, competition, open markets, the rule of law and other values of Western civilization, decided to switch rather than fight. To protect their own prosperity and influence, corporate leaders learned to speak the language and adopt the norms of progressive collectivism. They became cheerleaders for the new regime. Many came to believe in it themselves....

"The social responsibility of business became not merely to increase its profits, as Milton Friedman famously insisted, but to serve as social welfare agencies. They were not just to obey the law and deliver products and services that people wanted to buy, but to pursue social and environmental causes. They would serve the interests not just of their shareholders but their 'stakeholders,' as 'Environmental, Social and Governance' (ESG) models demanded. In their marketing and rhetoric, they embraced climate action, corporate social responsibility, social licence, 'equity, diversity and inclusion' (EDI) and social justice. They promoted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a blueprint for socialist managerialism. The Business Council of Canada endorsed carbon pricing and Canada’s climate plans. Major oil companies promoted net zero and repeated the kinds of claims that governments themselves made: that climate action in Canada helps to prevent the climate from changing.

"Such claims are patently false. Even if you believe in anthropogenic climate change, if your country doesn’t contribute much to the problem, cutting its contribution isn’t a solution. Bringing Canadian carbon emissions to zero would make no measurable difference to anything. Countries that together produce far and away most of the emissions on Earth have no intention of changing their paths.... 

"Canada excels at climate boondoggles. Carbon taxes are just more money for government coffers that do not necessarily reduce emissions, if that actually mattered. Wind and solar power, a lucrative source of government largesse that some businesses have adeptly saddled up to, don’t replace fossil fuels. Carbon capture and storage, perhaps the most pathetic pretend of them all, is a breathtakingly expensive symbolic gesture that cannot be applied at scale. The Paris accord and its net zero aspirations are climate fairy tales. Canadian business leaders would never say any of this. That was the deal: pay homage to the climate gods, and you can be on the team. But now they can’t.

"Progressive statism has never been about the climate, or transgenderism, or whatever the cause du jour. The target has always been Western values and principles. Free enterprise is anathema to its aspirations, and as it turns out, so is prosperity itself. Canadian companies have betrayed the economic principles of their own society.... The Canadian business community still does not understand the point of the revolution. There can be no survivors."

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/corporate-canada-betrayed-capitalism-now-it-has-been-betrayed

Four academic doctrines destroying Canada, Bruce Pardy, chapter author for The 1867 Project | Aristotle Foundation | June 13, 2023:

No new roads in Canada, says Guilbeault

Justin Trudeau's climate change minister, Steven Guilbeault, told a transit conference in Montreal on Tuesday that the Trudeau government "has made the decision to stop investing in new road infrastructure."

Guilbeault wants municipalities to stop building roads; urges people to walk | Western Standard | Shaun Polczer:

13 February 13, 2024 - "It’s not enough to ban internal combustion engines, keep oil and gas in the ground and force all Canadians to drive electric vehicles. Now federal [Environment and Climate Change] Minister Steven Guilbeault wants governments at all levels to stop building the roads to drive them on.

"Speaking at a transit conference in Montreal on Tuesday, Guilbeault said money that in the past would be spent on asphalt and concrete should be spent on projects to fight climate change instead. More roads and interchanges inevitably lead to more automobiles which inevitably leads to a self-fulfilling cycle of more road building and more cars — electric or otherwise, he said.

“'Our government has made the decision to stop investing in new road infrastructure. Of course we will continue to be there for cities, provinces and territories to maintain the existing network, but there will be no more envelopes from the federal government to enlarge the road network,' he said.... 'And thanks to a mix of investment in active and public transit and in territorial planning and densification, we can very well achieve our goals of economic, social and human development without more enlargement of the road network.'

"Guilbeault said overestimating the potential for electricity-powered transportation to solve climate change and other environmental issues would be 'an error, a false utopia that will let us down over the long term.' 'We must stop thinking that electric cars will solve all our problems,' he said via live video feed from Ottawa, to public transit advocacy group Trajectoire Québec.

"He said the Trudeau government has put up $30 billion to develop public transit since 2016, and has announced the country’s first annual financing program for public transit projects to allocate $3 billion per year for projects starting in 2026.

"The Liberal government also spent $400 million to encourage walking, cycling and the use of wheelchairs, scooters, e-bikes, roller blades, snowshoes and cross-country skis. Other projects include multi-use pathways, bike lanes, footbridges across roadways, new lighting, signage to encourage so-called ‘active transportation’."

"Guilbeault said municipal governments have to brace for EVs by doing more than simply installing charging stations. 'The solution to mobility will not consist only of electrification. Electrification is a component, but it’s not the only thing. There is the question of urban planning that is hyper important,' he said.... 'All of our planning practices have to be coherent with these mobility objectives, for the reduction of the ecological footprint of transportation and of greenhouse emissions.'”

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/alberta/guilbeault-wants-municipalities-to-stop-building-roads-urges-people-to-walk/52366

Environment minister faces backlash over road funding comments | CBC News, The National | February 14, 2023:

NDP bill bans saying nice things about fossil fuels

NDP private member's bill in the Commons would prescribe jail time for saying nice things about fossil fuels.

NDP bill would prescribe jail terms for speaking well of fossil fuels | National Post | Tristin Hopper: 

February 7, 2024 - "An NDP bill is seeking to criminalize the 'promotion' of fossil fuels, and prescribe jail time even for Canadians who say scientifically true things such as how burning natural gas is cleaner than burning coal. C-372, also known as the Fossil Fuel Advertising Act, was tabled Monday as a private member’s bill by Charlie Angus, the MP for Timmins-James Bay and a longtime member of the NDP caucus.

"'Today, I am proud to rise and introduce a bill that would make illegal false advertising by the oil and gas industry,' Angus announced in the House of Commons. He added that the oil and gas sector was trafficking in 'disinformation' and 'killing people'.... But C-372 goes well beyond merely banning advertising by oil and gas companies. "As ... written, the act would technically apply to any Canadian who is found to be speaking well of the oil industry, or of oil generally.

"'It is prohibited for a person to promote a fossil fuel, a fossil fuel-related brand element or the production of a fossil fuel,' reads the act. Violate this as a regular citizen, and the act prescribes summary conviction and a fine of up to $500,000. Violate it as an oil company, and the punishment could be as strict as two years in jail or a fine of $1,000,000.

"Angus defines 'promotion\ so broadly that it could technically apply to something as simple as a Facebook post or even an 'I Love Canadian Oil and Gas' bumper sticker. Promotion, according to Bill C-372, means '‍a representation about a product or service by any means … that is likely to influence and shape attitudes, beliefs and behaviours about the product or service.‍' The act also criminalizes a laundry list of common pro-oil and gas arguments, even ones that have a reliable basis in fact. 

"Section 8 of the act makes it a crime for 'a person' to argue that a fossil fuel is 'less harmful than other fossil fuels.' Natural gas, for instance, generates energy with far fewer emissions or pollutants than diesel, coal, bunker fuel or any number of 'dirtier' fuels..... Nevertheless, according to C-372, anybody making such an argument should face a jail term of up to two years or a 'fine not exceeding $500,000.'

"Section 8 also criminalizes any 'promotion' which argues that fossil fuels are beneficial to 'the health of Canadians, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples or the Canadian or global economy.' As such, the section could conceivably prescribe jail terms for anybody arguing that the oil and gas sector is a key funder of the Canadian health-care system, or even that oil and gas is needed to operate ambulances and MedEvac flights. Similarly, Canadians would face sanction for saying that the extraction and selling of oil is a net contributor to the country’s economy — a claim that is actually made quite often by the federal government itself. 'Oil and gas extraction is an important contributor to the Canadian economy,' reads a recent report by Statistics Canada.

"The bill would also bring the hammer down on the ability of Canadian gas stations to hold contests or issue loyalty cards. Bill C-372 would make it illegal for a retailer to 'provide or offer to provide any consideration for the purchase of a fossil fuel.' Any contest offering “free gas” would also be criminalized, under the bill’s prohibition on offers to 'furnish or offer to furnish a fossil fuel without monetary consideration'....

"Angus allows that movies, plays and musical performances would be allowed to 'use or depict fossil fuels' or even show 'the production of fossil fuels' — provided that the creator can prove that they have no links to an entity that 'has as one of its purposes to promote fossil fuels.' Canadians would also be allowed to express an 'opinion, commentary or report in respect of fossil fuels' if similar guidelines are followed.|

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ndp-bill-jail-terms-fossil-fuels

NDP MP Charlie Angus discusses his bill on fossil fuel advertising | cpac | February 6, 2024:

CO2 is greening the earth, Chinese study reports

Study finds CO2 is greening the earth and making vegetation flourish worldwide | Western Standard | Lee Harding:

February 3, 2024 - "The world is growing greener and greener thanks to carbon emissions, researchers have found. The global greening continues despite increased drought stress since 2000 reads the article's title, published in Global Ecology and Conservation in January. The study, which was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province, wanted a more accurate read following recent studies that found both greening and browning trends.

"'CO2 fertilization along with land management determined that greening is dominant. However, recently global browning signals due to drought stress have also been widely reported,' the researchers explained. 'We used the four latest leaf area index (LAI) datasets to explore this controversial topic, and found that global greening continued from 2001 to 2020. Greening acceleration occurred in 55.15% of the globe, while browning acceleration occurred in only 7.28%.' The accelerated greening was mainly concentrated in India and the European plains.

"The researchers, four of whom are affiliated with universities in China and one in Australia, said both climate change and carbon emissions were helping the greening and that in some places it was occurring despite drought.... 'Combined with meteorological variables, we found that CO2 change dominated the LAI trend, while climate change largely determined the LAI growth rate trend. Importantly, our study highlighted that drought trend did not necessarily trigger vegetation browning, but slowed down the rate of greening'....

"Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) is the difference between the amount of moisture that's actually in the air and the amount of moisture that air could hold at saturation. 'A growing body of research shows that vegetation growth is enhanced by moisture constraints due to increased VPD and decreased soil moisture caused by climate warming,' the researchers said. A 'drought trend could not lead to global browning as it could not overtake the positive effect of CO2 fertilization that contributed to global vegetation. Our study explains the rise in VPD offsets only a small fraction of the increase in productivity caused by warming and CO2 and gross primary productivity is still increasing globally.'

"Although the changes weren't uniform across the globe, positive trends dominated growth and acceleration of growth. This was borne out in two different kinds of analyses.

 We counted areas with the consistent trend and growth rate trend in four LAI datasets, 60.29% of the areas in the globe were inconsistent, however in the consistent areas, 64.06% of the areas showed accelerated greening, mainly distributed in India, the European plain and East Africa. The areas that browning was accelerating was only 2.07% and most of them were distributed in Eastern area in Brazil.... 

We further took the mean of the four data sets as a reference and analyzed the trend and growth rate trend. Greening was accelerating in 55.15% of the globe, among which the greening acceleration of India and European plains was the most obvious, while the greening of China and North America plains was slowing down. 

Only 14.44% of the globe was browning, with the accelerating (7.28%) and slowing down (7.16%) roughly equal.....

"The study is not the first to find potential upsides to climate change and carbon emissions. A 2018 study published in Nature found that global warming could make substantial new swaths of land able grow crops in the northern hemisphere, with Canada and Russia being the biggest winners."

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/study-finds-co2-is-greening-the-earth-and-making-vegetation-flourish-worldwide/52039

Read study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423004262#:~:text=Our%20results%20showed%20that%20the,compared%20with%207.28%25%20of%20browning.

Quebec man started 14 forest fires in 2023

A Quebec man has pleaded guilty to starting 14 forest fires in the province during last year's wildfire season.

Quebec man pleads guilty to 14 counts of arson during wildfire season | True North | Isaac Lamoureux:

January 17, 2024 - "A Quebec man has pleaded guilty to starting 14 fires during Canada’s wildfire season this past summer. 38-year-old Brian Paré has pleaded guilty to 13 counts of arson and one count of arson with disregard for human life. The fires took place between May 29 and September 5, 2023. 

"Prosecutor Marie-Philippe Charron informed the court that out of the 14 fires ignited by Paré, two led to the evacuation of approximately 500 homes in Chapais, Quebec, a small community situated about 425 kilometres northwest of Quebec City, according to the Canadian Press. Chibougamau ... a small town ... was also affected.... The fires caused all 7,500 residents to be displaced from their homes....

"Paré posted videos of fires on his Facebook page, which still remain up. The Quebec man claimed that the fires were intentionally started by the Canadian government and other 'elites' to progress their 2030 agenda.... 

"According to CBC, 700 forest fires burned over 4.5 million hectares of Quebec forest over the summer, 99.9% of which were sparked by lightning. However, recent data from the National Forestry Database shows that in 2020, roughly 10% of fires were sparked by lightning. Further, more recent data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre shows that in 2022, among Quebec’s 449 fires, 39 were natural (8.7%), while 410 were human-caused. 

"According to a spokesperson for the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu, responsible for forest fires in the province, human activity was to blame for roughly 80% of fires in Quebec

"According to the National Forestry Database, the number of fires and total area (in millions of hectares) burned in Canada are lower than in 1980 – the furthest the data goes back.

"During the wildfire season, politicians and the media blamed the fires on climate change, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Energy Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment Steven Guilbeault, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and Senator Chuck Schumer, each blaming Canadian fires on climate change. CTV and the Washington Post both published articles attributing fires to climate change despite their cause not being known at the time."

Read more: https://tnc.news/2024/01/17/quebec-man-pleads-guilty-14-counts-arson/

Arsonists set Canada on fire. NOT Climate Change | True North | January 22, 2024:

Germany's farmers bring protest to capital

Germany's capital was gridlocked on Monday as the country's farmers brought their ongoing national protests to Berlin, with an estimated 30,000 rallying at the Brandenburg Gate.  

Germany’s farmers are revolting | Academy of Ideas, Substack | Sabine Beppler-Spahl:

January 18, 2024 - "Thousands of tractors rolled through Berlin on Monday. The city was clogged for hours as the approximately 6,000 machines made their way to the city centre. Their destination was Brandenburg Gate where a protest rally, attended by many thousands (the organisers claimed 30,000) took place. It was the climax of a week-long protest organised by German farmers all over the country. And it was a massive show of discontentment with the government and its green agenda.

"'The traffic light coalition must go', was the main demand, displayed on banners fixed to the tractors. (The traffic light stands for the party colours of the three coalition partners - SPD, Green Party and Liberals.) It was a message echoed by the participants at the demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate too. When asked why they were taking part in the rally, people replied ‘because this policy is not only destroying the farmers, but the whole country’, or ‘because we are fed up with the restrictions imposed on us’.

"The protests were triggered in December when the government announced that it would abolish tax reliefs on agricultural diesel and farm vehicles [as] part of a general budget cut which became necessary after a court ruling exposed a €17 billion gap in the original 2024 budget. The additional burden on farmers was justified with the argument that the government wanted to cancel ‘climate-damaging subsidies’. Farmers, who depend on agricultural diesel vehicles  - understandably - saw this as an outrageous disregard for their work. ‘Why should we pay for the government’s incompetence?’ asked one farmer said at the rally.

"It was stupid of the government to believe it could get away with its new tax hikes at a time of growing discontentment. Like other entrepreneurs, farmers are suffering from the high energy prices in Germany. And because parts of the chemical industry have ceased production, fertiliser prices have also rocketed. In January, before the protests hit the streets, the government tried to appease the angry farmers by taking back the tax on vehicle fuel. It also said that the diesel tax would be phased out over a period of two years, rather than all at once. But the farmers who had geared up for the fight were not willing to be put off by such half-hearted compromises....

"For years, discontentment at ever harsher environmental regulations and time-consuming bureaucracy has been building up amongst farmers. In 2019, farmers blocked Berlin’s streets after the Merkel government demanded a 20 per cent reduction in the use of fertilisers, as part of its agricultural reform package. Since then, matters have become even worse. Keen to meet the EU’s strict nitrate laws, the current government announced further directives on nitrates, pesticides and animal-husbandry last summer. As part of the EU’s green new deal, farmland is now being identified for ‘renaturalisation’. Many farmers have already had to reduce their animal stock as a result.... 

"The determination of the farmers and the size of the protests have caught the government unprepared. On Monday, many protesters said they were fighting for nothing less than the survival of their industry. Without the freedom to make informed decisions, farming would have no future in Germany, they said. But what has made these latest protests special is that they have found such widespread support. Hauliers, craftsmen, restaurant owners and hunters were amongst those standing in front of Brandenburg Gate. Lorry drivers have announced that they will continue the protests this week. And as the tractors rolled through Berlin, countless people could be seen waving at them, and showing the thumbs up sign. A survey carried out by one of Berlin’s leading newspapers found that 65 per cent of those questioned said they stood on the side of the farmers....

"Regrettably, the government has reacted very helplessly. It has said that it would hold on to the cuts, but would reduce bureaucracy for farmers. When Scholz finally commented on the protests last week, he accused the farmers of being too radical: ‘If legitimate protests turn into anger or disregard for democratic processes and institutions, then we all lose’, he said. Such warnings say more about the chancellor and his fear than about the actual protests. The participants on Monday reacted with derision when asked about reports of far-right groups infiltrating the protests. ‘Do you see any right-wingers here?’ asked one. ‘Such talk is all about unsettling people’, said another.

"There were some flags showing the colours of the right-populist AfD, but very few, and only on the periphery. Indeed, the AfD has not been particularly popular with farmers so far. In the last general election in 2021, only eight per cent of farmers voted for the party.... It won't help the government to lump the farmers and their supporters into the corner of right-wing extremists. It will only make people think that for this government, anyone who opposes its green agenda is right-wing. The great solidarity with the farmers shows how exposed this agenda stands."

Read more: https://clairefox.substack.com/p/germanys-farmers-are-revolting

FARMERS REVOLT: Protests sweep across Germany against 'unfair' tax changes | Sky News Australia | January 18, 2022:

An inside report on UN's COP28

 "You can be sure that corporate media reports on climate change will be slanted," says John Birch Society CEO Bill Hahn; which is why the Society sent its own accredited journalists to COP28. This is from their reports. 

What Really Happened at COP28 | The New American | William S. Hahn: 

December 22, 2023 "So we’re told that a monumental deal was struck at the latest Climate Change conference that will phase out fossil fuels. But is it true? You can be sure that corporate media reports on climate change will be slanted.... This is why it’s important for us to attend these conferences and get a first person look at what goes on..... The New American, a media outlet of The John Birch Society, sent a team of three investigative journalists to COP28, the United Nations climate change conference that was held in Dubai, an Arab police state that does not allow dissent within its country. The New American had covered many of these UN conferences in the past and was once again granted official access to the event.... 

"A senior editor of The New American, Alex Newman, who has attended these conferences since 2009, reported online that 'Governments at the United Nations COP28 "climate" summit agreed to "transition" away from "fossil fuels" today. But don’t believe the hype from the media about a "phaseout" or "phase down’ of hydrocarbon energy at the UN summit. What is really happening is a planned phaseout of the Western world — what used to be known as Christendom or the 'Free World' — as the UN and Western leaders work to usher in a new "multipolar" world order'....

"Advocates of the globalist agenda have been quite open about this since at least the early 1970s regarding building a New World Order or NWO. Over the last few years, the Council on Foreign Relations [CFR] has offered a new course of direction for the NWO. It focuses on moving away from the leadership of the U.S. and other Western countries to also include other countries like [the] autocracies of China, Russia, and other participants of BRICS. Richard Haass, the longtime President of the [CFR] wrote in the March 23, 2021 Foreign Affairs magazine, 'The international system is at a historical inflection point.… the Western-led liberal order that emerged after World War II cannot anchor global stability in the twenty-first century.… The best vehicle for promoting stability in the twenty-first century is a global concert of major powers'....

"What he is describing is also known as a multipolar New World Order.... [T]he U.S. was used as the main leader for the post-WWII era. It unconstitutionally used its vast resources to help build up Communist countries, as well as those that would belong to the European Union, while at the same time building up world government bodies like the United Nations and its many affiliates. In a multipolar world order, the U.S. and its Western allies would continue to utilize its resources by transferring large amounts of wealth to poorer countries. Doing so will bring down the standard of living for the average American while raising up those in developing countries as well as countries like China and Russia who give lip service to the agenda of the United Nations, but work to build themselves into the leading superpowers.

"Mr. Newman reported, 'Throughout the COP28 ‘climate’ summit, the Biden administration and Western governments pledged ever-more suicidal energy policies and draconian wealth redistribution from the middle class under the guise of saving the planet. According to an analysis by the Heritage Foundation’s Stephen Moore, just the U.S. government’s latest methane promises — a de facto ban on natural-gas power plants — will take out upwards of 60 percent of American electric power generation. But that pain will not be shared around the world. In fact, officials from the United Arab Emirates and Communist China, among others, were exposed planning to make oil and gas deals at the summit.... The news was spun by the establishment press to portray the UAE government hosting the climate talks in a negative light. But the real significance of the scandal was lost: It highlights the fact that the anti-energy hysteria and silly "solutions" such as solar panels and windmills being peddled to Western populations by the UN and the media are primarily undermining the economies of Western nations, including Europe and the United States — not China or other autocracies, whose emissions are all soaring with no end in sight.'

"Leave it up to the suckers in the U.S. and the EU to follow the 'rules,' but Communist countries are in no way participating in their own economic destruction by dismantling their industries or turning off a major flow of revenue through resource or product sales. The value they place on human life disqualifies them from actually carrying out this agenda based on a democratic or just way of living. Ironically, the Kremlin posted this statement when Xi Jinping visited Russia earlier in 2023: 'We jointly work to create a more just and democratic multipolar world order, which should be based on the central role of the UN, its Security Council, international law, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.' If that’s what they are working toward, then the free world should want nothing to do with it given the Communist’s idea of justice and democracy.... 

As Mr. Newman ... wrote, 'The president of the COP28 conference, ADNOC [Abu Dhabi National Oil Company] chief Sultan Al Jaber, outraged climate alarmists worldwide when he ridiculed their pseudo-scientific pronouncements. [see video]. "I’m not in any way signing up to any discussion that is alarmist," he told former Irish President Mary Robinson.... Other oil-producing Arab governments also injected a major dose of reality into the summit while undermining the UN-backed Western media narrative. Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman ridiculed the idea that the world would "phase out” hydrocarbon energy. “And I assure you not a single person — I’m talking about governments — believes in that,” he was quoted as saying in the press.'

"This is the heart of the matter: Climate action is nothing more than a front to usher in totalitarian world government — a New World Order that proponents in globalist and communist circles have been discussing for more than 100 years. Those elected officials and other so-called dignitaries in the climate change movement do not honestly believe in their cause, or their actions would have reflected their convictions.... [B]ills to get the U.S. out of the UN have been recently introduced in the House and the Senate, the first time in a long time. Let’s generate some pressure in Congress to get these voted on."

Read more: https://thenewamerican.com/opinion/what-really-happened-at-cop28/

COP28: Criticism mounts against president over fossil fuel comments | Global News | December 3, 2023:

Trudeau govt to ban non-electric car sales by 2035

Just before Christmas, the Trudeau government announced regulations that would phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered automobiles in Canada, and ban their sale completely by 2035.

Federal Government EV Mandates Destined to Fail | EnergyNow.ca | Fraser Institute:

December 20, 2023 - "The Trudeau government [has] unveiled regulations meant to phaseout the sale of new internal combustion vehicles and compel Canadians to buy zero-emission vehicles..... [A]ccording to the Trudeau government’s new regulations, all new passenger vehicles and light trucks sold in Canada must be electric zero-emission vehicles [EVs] by 2035, with interim targets of 20 per cent by 2026 and 60 per cent by 2030.... 

"And yet, despite multibillion-dollar subsidies and governmental efforts to promote EV adoption, consumers are not embracing them. In Canada, only 6.5 per cent (98,589) of the 1.5 million new vehicles sold in 2022 were electric, according to Statistics Canada. Achieving the Trudeau government’s 2026 target would require a rapid increase in EV sales to more than 300,000 in coming years and more than 900,000 in 2030 (assuming no change in total vehicle sales). Such rapid growth in a short timeframe is at best questionable....

"But even in the unlikely scenario of sudden shift in consumer preferences, production-side barriers loom large.... According to a recent study, to meet international EV adoption mandates (including mandates in Canada and the U.S.) by 2030 the world would need 50 new lithium mines, 60 new nickel mines, 17 new cobalt mines, 50 new mines for cathode production, 40 new mines for anode materials, 90 new mines for battery cells, and 81 new mines for EV bodies and motors, for a total of 388 new mines worldwide. For context, in 2021 there were only 340 metal mines operating in Canada and the U.S.

"And historically, the development of mining and refining facilities has been slow. Production timelines range from six to nine years for lithium and 13 to 18 years for nickel—two elements critical for EV batteries. The aggressive government timelines for EV adoption clash with historically sluggish metal and mineral production, raising the risk of EV manufacturers falling short of needed minerals.... Simply put, it’s not at all clear that sufficient capacities will be available to produce enough EVs to achieve the mandates being imposed on Canadians and Americans, nor is it clear consumers in either country are willing to spend their own money to purchase them."

Read more: https://energynow.ca/2023/12/federal-government-ev-mandates-destined-to-fail-fraser-institute/

New cars sold in Canada must be zero-emission by 2035, Trudeau government announces | FULL | Global News | December 18, 2023:

Motor Mouth: The consequences of Canada's EV mandate | Driving ] David Booth: 

December 18, 2023 - "It’s now official. We have, as a nation, joined those other countries banning the sale of internal-combustion-engine-powered light-duty vehicles past the year 2035.... Discussion is over, the plans now firm, and the political party in charge, more desperate for wins that any time in their eight-year reign, are firmly committed to its implementation. In other words, automakers’ sales targets for battery-powered vehicles — some 20 per cent of all new cars sold in 2026, 60 per cent by 2030, and the full 100 per cent in 2035 — have been mandated, and now all that’s left to do is deal with the consequences....

"A lot of things have to go right for Canada to achieve 100-per-cent ZEV sales nationwide by 2035. Pierre Poilievre can't get elected. Battery prices need to decrease. The roll-out of charging stations needs to be ramped up. The federal government will have to maintain its subsidies much longer than originally proposed. Failure of any of the above could render these best of intentions wasted. Throw in the fact that it takes as much as five to 10 years for a mine to come on-stream in Canada, and the precipitous drop in pricing EV proponents have been promising seems remote indeed.... In fact, the idea that a fully functional EV — as in, one with sufficient range to serve as a middle-class family’s only mode of transportation — will be anywhere near CDN$30,000 without subsidies in the next five years seems laughable. A ... 400-km-plus-(real-)highway-range four-door five-passenger EV for 30 large? With no government cash in the trunk? No one in North America — or Europe — can build that car.

"But the Chinese can. In fact, they’re already doing it, and, thanks to a cost-of-manufacturing advantage that some corporate European CEOs put at as much as 15,000 euros, they are ravaging the E.U. market as we speak. Many other markets as well.... [W]ith the mandate’s rapid progression — that 60-per-cent-of-new-cars-be-EVs-by-2030 rule – it might become viable for BYD, NIO, and the like to establish a beachhead here..., And when — okay, if — they come, there’s precious little chance our native auto industry can counterattack.... 

"By [2030], 60 per cent of all cars an automaker sells throughout our entire country will have to be BEVs. That would mean that if you sell, say, 60,000 electrics nationwide, you’d be allowed to sell 40,000 non-ZEV ICEs. For many of the larger automakers in Canada, that would be a bad year....[O]ur American cousins ... could flood our market with new (actually slightly used) ICEs to make up for the shortfall. Back in 2009, when our dollar was at par ... five per cent of the new cars sold in Canada came from south of the border. With even more money to be made and a captive audience facing a shortage of cars they’re no longer allowed to buy through Canadian dealers, it could be many more."

Read more: https://driving.ca/auto-news/industry/canada-electric-vehicle-availability-standard-ev-mandate-sales-2035

Guilbeault's plan to reduce danger from cow burps

Justin Trudeau's climate change minister, Steven Guilbeault, celebrated food and agricultue day at the COP28 summit on climate change by unveiling the Canadian government's plan to reduce the environmental threat posed by cow burps.

Guilbeault moves to cap methane emissions from cows | Western Standard | Shaun Polczer:

December 11, 2023 - "First it was the oil and gas industry. Now Envrionment Minister Steven Guilbeault is taking aim at another major sector of Alberta’ economy by targeting flatulent cattle.... [A]at the COP28 summit in Dubai ... Guilbeault announced the proposed ‘Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle’ (REME) protocol to 'incentivize” farmers to implement changes that would be eligible for methane offset credits that can be bought or sold'....

"It’s the fourth such schedule to be included in Canada’s greenhouse gas offset system and the third policy measure announced by Guilbeault’s office at the COP28 summit including limits on industrial methane and a cap on oil and gas.... Environment and Climate Change Canada said the draft REME protocol was 'informed' by Alberta’s offset protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fed cattle. At this point it only covers burping emissions from beef cattle — more than half of which are found in Alberta — and not dairy cows that are concentrated in the Lower Mainland and Quebec.

"According to Environment Canada, agriculture was responsible for 31% of Canada’s total methane emissions in 2021, the majority of which are produced by beef and dairy cattle. Methane is generated during the natural digestive process of cows and is released into the air when cows burp. 

"The offset credit system is among several measures Canada is taking to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 40% to 45% below 2005 levels under the Liberals’ 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan."

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/agriculture/guilbeault-moves-to-cap-methane-emissions-from-cows/50938

Ottawa's plan to cut methane emissions 'unconstitutional,' Alberta premier says | Power and Politics, CBC News | December 11, 2023:

Ottawa comes down hard on methane-burping cows. Are humans next? | Calgary Herald | Don Braid:

December 12, 2023 - ""Methane eructated and flatulated by cattle is a secondary but substantial cause of climate change. So, too, is gas from moose, elk, deer and many other creatures less susceptible to regulation. But the worst offenders by far are humans, each and every one of us expert at using our built-in emission technologies. As a species we are so gaseous and numerous that our methane production far exceeds those of any cud-chewing creatures. Much is written on all this, although one has to wonder about the accuracy of facts and figures. Who can measure the totality of human flatulence? And how? Regardless, Ottawa is on the case.... 

"As usual, Ottawa presents a climate measure as advantageous both scientifically and economically. 'Each credit represents one tonne of emission reductions. Credits can be sold to facilities that will use them to meet emissions reduction obligations, or to other businesses to meet their low-carbon economy commitments. This means fewer methane emissions, and more financial opportunities for Canadian farmers'....

"There are ways to reduce methane emissions from cattle — feeding them a certain kind of seaweed, for instance. This is apparently very effective, although not so practical on the Prairies. Cattle can also be bred with low-emission genetic traits. If the entire dairy herd were bred this way, according to one company, emissions in the national dairy herd could drop 20 to 30 per cent by 2050.

"Kyle Larkin, executive director of the Grain Growers of Canada, says farmers and ranchers already face pressure from federal demands to cut fertilizer emissions. 'It’s fine to put targets out there,' he says, 'but we need a plan to be able to get to those targets, and if the government was serious about reaching the 30 per cent fertilizer emissions reduction target, or the methane reduction target, there need to be dollars put into best management practices and helping farmers to adapt.' But Ottawa continues to drop measures on one sector after another. The Liberals are so zealous, in fact, that they might even announce low-emission targets for humans."

Read more: https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/braid-ottawa-comes-down-hard-on-methane-burping-cows-are-humans-next

Corruption, cover-up alleged in federal green fund

Canada's House of Commons ethics committee is investigating allegations of and mismanagement, miscoduct, and cover-ups in the federal government's main green tech funding agency, whose CEO and board president have already resigned.

Whistleblower accuses Liberals of 'egregious cover-up' over controversy at green tech fund | National Post | Catherine Lévesque:

December 12, 2023 - "In bombshell testimony at a House of Commons committee, a whistleblower accused the federal government of an 'egregious cover-up' over allegations of mismanagement and misconduct conducted by the board of Canada’s main funding agency for green tech. The whistleblower, a former employee who worked at Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) from 2020 to 2022, showed his face during his testimony at the committee on industry Monday night, but on the condition that his name would not be used.... 

"During his time at SDTC, the whistleblower conducted financial due diligence and compliance of projects. He said he is the only one who could openly speak about the problems at the agency, since he had not signed a non-disclosure agreement, unlike many of his former colleagues. He alleged that $150 million of taxpayer money was granted improperly, including to companies directly connected to SDTC’s own board members....

"Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne had previously said that his department was made aware of allegations concerning SDTC earlier this year, and had asked an independent third party, the accounting firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, to conduct a 'fact-finding exercise.' Champagne said ... The findings, as reported by the Globe and Mail, showed evidence of inappropriate funding, conflict-of-interest breaches, high turnover rates and stress-related leaves of absence. As a result, Champagne demanded that SDTC take corrective measures, including creating an action plan that he expects will be implemented by the end of this year and suspending government funding for all new projects until the corrective measures are in place....

"This testimony is the latest in a series of developments concerning the fate of SDTC, which has put more than $1.5 billion into clean technology companies since 2001. The Conservatives have already said they would shut down the fund if they form government. The president of the board of directors, Annette Verschuren, recently resigned after being the subject of an investigation by the ethics commissioner. She admitted to having approved more than $200,000 in subsidies to the company NRStor, which she runs [see video]. The president and CEO of SDTC, Leah Lawrence, also resigned. In a letter to the board of directors, she cited a 'sustained and malicious campaign to undermine' her leadership."

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/whistleblower-accuses-liberals-of-egregious-coverup-green-tech-fund

Breaking News!!! MP Cooper Digs Into Incredible Allegations In New Govt Scandal | IUI Cafe | November 8, 2023:

Trudeau appointee fled ethics investigation hearing | Western Standard | Christopher Oldcorn"

December 13, 2023 - "A cabinet appointee under an ethics investigation for alleged insider dealings abruptly left a Commons Industry committee hearing on Tuesday evening while being questioned. According to Blacklock’s Reporter, whistleblowers accused Annette Verschuren, a Liberal Party donor, of directing federal employees to search for grants on behalf of her non-profit Verschuren Centre.... On November 20, Verschuren resigned as chair of the federal foundation Sustainable Development Technology Canada [SDTC] ... after she admitted to having voted to allocate $217,000 to her money-losing company.... Verschuren is being investigated by the Ethics Commissioner for a suspected breach of the Conflict of Interest Act.

"During her testimony via videoconference, Verschuren informed the committee that she had expertise in business matters. 'I understand business,' she said. 'I have been on boards for almost 30 years..... 'I am chair of a governance committee of a major company in Canada. I understand —.” Following this exchange, Verschuren suddenly stood up, turned off her headphones, and disconnected from the videoconference. The committee adjourned after the incident. 

"This followed a whistleblower's testimony claiming that the Verschuren Centre relied on taxpayer subsidies. Witness Number One, a former financial compliance officer at [SDTC] , alleged that in 2021 as chair Verschuren sought millions in grants for her Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy, located on the campus of Cape Breton University, where Verschuren also serves as the chancellor.... A foundation review committee 'rejected it based on the conflict of interest,' said Witness Number One. However, foundation employees were ordered to “help the Verschuren Centre and move that application into other sources of funding'....

"Records show the Verschuren Centre in 2022 received $3 million from the federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. It also received $1.4 million from the department of fisheries in 2022, another $70,000 from the National Research Council this past April 1, an additional $1 million from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency on September 5 and $1.18 million from the federally subsidized Canadian Food Innovation Network on September 19."

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/trudeau-appointee-fled-ethics-investigation-hearing/50997

Quebec author questions climate alarmism

Quebec author Joanne Marcotte has written a book questioning the "climate apocalypse" consensus – and introducing the reader to a host of thinkers who do likewise.

Quebec author challenges climate change alarmism in new book | Western Standard } Lee Harding:

December 2, 2023 - "A Quebec author is calling for realism and pragmatism in the climate change debate, saying “apocalyptic alarmism” is uncalled for. In her book Inconvenient Doubts – Climate Change Apocalypse: Really? Joanne Marcotte introduces readers to scientists, humanists and economists who defy the past thirty-plus years of 'climate change catastrophism'....

Courtesy Amazon.ca

"The book takes a fresh look at questions alarmist doctrines insist is settled: What exactly is the consensus shared by the scientific community and the state of climate science? Is it warming or not? Are man-made CO2 emissions really the sole responsible of climate change? Are extreme meteorological events really more frequent and intense? How about the IPCC's climate models and scenarios? Are they that reliable? And is Net Zero even realistic? Marcotte says a healthy democracy would allow debate on such questions.... 

"In an email ... the author said the book was the culmination of two years of reading and podcasts from those who provided a 'counterweight' to the 'apocalyptic narrative of climate change.' This included authors such as Steven E. Koonin[] (Unsettled), Michael Shellenberger (Apocalypse Never), Bjorn Lomborg (False Alarm), Judith Curry (Uncertainty and Risk) as well as Roger Pielke. 

"'I also got to know some economists such as Ross McKitrick and a whole lot of other very interesting people and sources. The more I read and listened, the more I was convinced their work must be shared in all sorts of ways,' Marcotte said....

“'I found that it was absolutely necessary to find a way to inform French-speaking people of today’s state of the climate science since, as you would guess, the coverage here is not at all balanced, [to] say the least,” she said. 'During the week of the French version launch, I am happy to have received quite a lot of interviews from Quebec City’s radio stations but still, the subject is taboo in the Montreal media outlets'.... 

"At a time when the United Nations, the IPCC and governments worldwide demand trillions of dollars for their Net Zero project, Marcotte argues that it is perfectly legitimate to press scientists and governments to provide more explanations on uncertainties and risks. She also believes the media should offer more balanced coverage surrounding the United Nations, the IPCC and COP events.

"Marcotte holds a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from Université Laval and worked for several years in the field of computer systems architecture. She also has been commenting and analyzing political news on her personal blog and in selected media since 2009. Marcotte, who lives near Quebec City, is ... known in her province for the 2006 political documentary L’Illusion tranquille (The Quiet Illusion). Five years later, her noted essay Pour en finir avec le Gouvernemaman called for an end to the province’s nanny state."

"Inconvenient Doubts is self-published and available in English and French on Amazon.ca in paperback and ebook." 

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/quebec-author-challenges-climate-change-alarmism-in-new-book/50636

Developed nations will pay UN climate reparations

Developed countries including the U.S., the UK, Germany, and Japan have agreed to pay millions in climate reparations to the United Nations, for a fund intended to compensate vulnerable nations for 'climate-induced disasters.'

Cameron Pledges £60 Million in UN Climate 'Reparations' | Epoch Times | Owen Evans: 

December 1, 2023 - "The UK government has agreed to pay tens of millions in climate 'reparation Loss and Damage funds at this year's U.N. COP28 summit. On Friday, the UK government pledged a £60 million contribution to the world’s poorest countries affected by climate change at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai. The Loss and Damage fund is a plan to get wealthy nations that benefited from fossil fuels during the Industrial Revolution to compensate developing states....

"UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron wrote on X, (formerly known as Twitter), that it is 'vital we build on our support to the developing countries most impacted by climate change.' 'That's why the UK has pledged up to £60m at COP28 to help repair the loss and damage caused by events such as floods and crop failure,' he added.

"Last year, countries reached an agreement on establishing a fund to compensate vulnerable nations for "loss and damage" from "climate-induced disasters." The Guardian reported that this year's funding is close to $429 million, with pledges from host country UAE as well as Germany, the United States and Japan. 

"According to the government, loss and damage funds are 'often framed as an act of compensation or reparation from more developed countries' though it said that 'these terms are not used in the COP agreement.... However, some small island states are exploring avenues of legal redress on the liability of historically high emitters,' it added. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said 'reparations' for climate change were 'not on the table' at COP27 last year.

"A study published in 2019, quoted by Parliament, calculated that loss and damage for developing countries could rise from between $290 billion and $580 billion in 2030 and reach over $1 trillion by 2050.... Labour MP Afzal Khan shared a statement on Friday saying that 'a serious commitment to climate finance for loss and damage at this year's COP28 conference is absolutely essential to support individuals who are made refugees in their own country as a result of extreme weather events'.... 'It is thought there will be 1.2 billion climate refugees in the next 25 years, with the impacts of climate change worsening, acting now is the only viable option," added Mr Khan.'

"Net Zero Watch's Head of Policy Harry Wilkinson told The Epoch Times by email that 'countries suffering from the effects of extreme weather should be supported, particularly poorer countries.... However, it would be a mistake to view this in transactional terms,' he said. 'Industrialisation has clearly had huge benefits and it’s important to remember that the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] concludes that there is low confidence in any global trends for most forms of extreme weather. Ultimately, it will be economic growth, which means that extreme weather events have a smaller and smaller impact on our wellbeing,' added Mr. Wilkinson....

"Climate researcher and creator of Climate Debate, Ben Pile, told The Epoch Times that on the face of it, the £60 million contribution gesture 'is in fact peanuts'.... 'India's GDP is likely to rise by 1,000 percent over the coming decades. So neither the UK's contribution, nor the entire fund itself makes any difference to Indians, and would be a bad deal for them, if they were to take it as a bribe on a per-capita basis, versus their continued economic and industrial development,' he added. He maintained that India and other countries would "all be better off burning coal, oil and gas.' 'And so they would be if, rather than destroying our own economies, we kept the supply of affordable and abundant energy, too. It would mean we would be able to better trade with developing economies,' he said.

"Mr. Pile was deeply sceptical about aid, which he has previously called 'an instrument intended to secure the establishment's/government's agenda.... 'The point of these budgets, however, is not to deliver any good to people in need in the world. It is to keep afloat the parasitic fake civil society organisations and politically-motivated fake "research" organisations that depend on government largesse and eco-billionaire handouts,' he said."

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/cameron-pledges-60-million-in-un-climate-reparations-5539441

Climate Reparations - What Is Owed? (COP 27) | Climate Emergency Forum | November 27, 2022: