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Energy CEOs call for national policy

DOUG SAUNDERS

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 1:23 PM EST 20/09/07

Immigration a priority as energy firms struggle for workers ...Read the full article

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  1. True Grit from calgary, Canada writes: Wow, a comprehensive national energy policy, what a concept. I guess Trudeau knew what he was doing afterall.
  2. Terry M from Houston, United States writes:
    Never going to happen, Albertans up to this point have been patient with all the external pressures, carbon tax, royalty adjustment, labor and infrastructure shortages, nationalization talk, high federal taxes and equalization inequality.

    Don’t mess with Alberta; otherwise ROC will have to pay their own bills.

    .
  3. D JL from Canada writes: LOL..who are these CEOs? What do they know? Do they understand where they are.

    YES, the ROC would love to take a cut. In fact, I am certain they do.

    Man here I go again, defending the RICH.(Alberta)..Minerals, etc are the Prov. control. The oil sands, by some luck, happen to end up in an area/province with some legal lines called Alberta.

    Oil Industry, live with it. Stop trying to create more difficulties. Or maybe, we'll ask the Feds. to ADD on to the Albertan Royalties.
  4. Kevin McDougald from Winnipeg, Canada writes: The article notes: "...they were united in their call for a federal push for vastly increased immigration of both skilled and unskilled workers...Mainly, though, they said Canada needs a larger population."

    I'm not convinced that this is a well thought out plan.

    First, we have to consider the fact that the wants and needs of today won't necessarily be those of five or ten years from now. What becomes of those vastly increased numbers of skilled and unskilled immigrants if the social, political and economic environment of 2012 is vastly different than that of 2007? Do we send them back to where they came from? Don't count on it.

    Second, does Canada really need a larger population? Thirty-three million is a sizable population as it is. And while a larger population may bring grandeur and some degree of international influence, it does not seem to make a country more livable. Of the top five countries in the UN's 2006 Human Development Index, four have populations of less than 10 million. Of the eight best performers in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, all have populations of less than 10 million. A political stability index developed for the World Bank also shows that smaller jurisdictions tend to be assessed as lower instability risks than more populous jurisdictions.
  5. 20 20 from Canada writes:
    So are the usual right-wing, free-market posters going to call these industry executives "lefties" and "socialists" because they're asking Ottawa to deliver industry regulations and a comprehensive national energy policy?

    Are the usual xenophobic, anti-immigration crowd (often the same ones as above) going to call these industry executives "lefties" and "socialists" because they're asking Ottawa to vastly increase immigration?

    Are these industry executives asking now partly because their cooperative friends Stephen Harper, Maxime Bernier, and David Emerson are now in Ottawa? Do they want Harper and company to help them get their hands on Canadian water that they're using up in vast quantities for the oil sands? Are they possibly calling in favors for campaign donations?
  6. Terry M from Houston, United States writes:

    Alberta will decide for itself what policy it’s going to implement.

    .
  7. 20 20 from Canada writes: How about slowing down the pace of development of the oil sands? The infrastructure, the labour force, the water supply, and the environment cannot keep up with the pace of development as it is:

    "A recent Globe and Mail headline hailed the oil sands as a 'Boom Gone Berserk'.

    Former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, its original champion, has called for a moratorium on oil sands development.

    The Mayor of Fort MacMurray says her city can't possibly keep up with its current rate and scale.

    Companies themselves are worried about finding enough people and materials to build their projects.

    And Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party is promoting 'Green Conservatism' to deal with the overheated expansion of the oil sands."

    - cbc.ca/natureofthings/show_lessismore.html

    At present, the pace seems mainly set by Americans. In the secret meeting between American and Albertan oil executives, the US Department of Energy, and Natural Resources Canada, in Houston in 2006, they came out of it pushing for Canada "to streamline the regulatory approval process," with a "one-stop-shop" for project proposals to facilitate a "fivefold" expansion of oil production in Alberta from 1 million to 5 million barrels a day.
  8. Terry M from Houston, United States writes:

    Slowing the pace is not an option. If you haven’t noticed the world is running out of easy oil. Currently there are over 40 oil sand projects operating in the province, royalty rates should not be increased until there are over 340 projects operating. Then raise the rates.

    .
  9. OZZY RULES THE WORLD! from Canada writes: Terry M from Houston, United States writes: Never going to happen, Albertans up to this point have been patient with all the external pressures, carbon tax, royalty adjustment, labor and infrastructure shortages, nationalization talk, high federal taxes and equalization inequality. Don’t mess with Alberta; otherwise ROC will have to pay their own bills. _______________ Guess what Terry M, you forget the east rules the country like it or not. We will have a national energy strategy and it will include ALL surpluses from Alberta. Ohhh it hurts doesn't it. AWW poor Alberta. We will mess with Alberta at will and Alberta can do NOTHING. WE will decide what strategy Alberta implements, because if Harper wants to stay in his little Minority he will obey...thats bad news for greedy people like you.
  10. Chris E. from Canada writes: More immigration is not the answer. We need to encourage under-employed people from other parts of Canada to take work in Alberta, and students to get the right education. National identity is more important than growth. National identity looks ahead 50 to a hundred years, growth only looks at the quarterly and annual reports. Canada is fine with 33 million people. More immigrants means more green house gas and Co2, more garbage, more urban sprawl, more demands on water resources, more policing and hospital costs, more coal and nuclear power-generating plants, more WalMarts, more wear on infrastructure, more farmland turned into suburbs, more money spent on integration, more turmoil between ethnicities, more competition for opportunities, more selling our way of life for greed. A little slowing down is what we need.
  11. siren call from Canada writes: Patrick Daniel, chief executive officer of the petroleum pipeline and distribution firm Enbridge Inc. “A national strategy would help in mapping our energy development agenda and serve to prioritize our initiatives, including R&D and training.”
    ....................

    Plus we'd like Ottawa to pay to educate our workforce. And alter their immigration rules so that the unskilled workers can be paid in peanuts. Please give us money for research and development. Oh, and build the water infrastructure so that the Oil companies can pollute every last drop of water.

    Other than suck at the public teat, what do our corporations do?
  12. Terry M from Houston, United States writes:

    OZZY,
    In your dreams.

    Chris,
    Alberta needs 400,000 workers in the next 15 years, mass imports of workers are required.

    .
  13. OZZY RULES THE WORLD! from Canada writes: Terry M from Houston, United States writes:

    OZZY,
    In your dreams.

    Chris,
    Alberta needs 400,000 workers in the next 15 years, mass imports of workers are required.

    _____________

    Oooo Terry doesn't like reality. Imports will mean the end of you're precious Neo-Con government. You forget we run Canada, please learn you're place now before its too late for Harper.
  14. 20 20 from Canada writes:
    'Paul Michael Weaby, a Washington insider and an expert on the geo-strategic aspect of the oil industry, said Bush is counting on Canada to help wean the United States off Middle Eastern oil - a goal now defined as a national security objective.

    "He wanted to have a reduction of 1.5 million barrels a day by 2015 from the Middle East. Although he did not mention Canada, that is in fact where the replacement supply will come from."'

    http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2007/01/17/oil-sands.html

    According to this Washington insider then, the Americans want to go from extracting 1 million barrels a day out of Canada to 2.5 million barrels, an increase of 150% in 8 years.

    NAFTA, that sovereignty-ceding "arrangement", has a clause that says we can never decrease the proportion of energy we export to the US. If our own consumption stays put as we Canadians all do our part for Earth, that means that the proportion of our oil that's reserved for the US under FTA/NAFTA/SPP gets permanently ratcheted up from the present 63% to 81% in 8 years. The proportion of oil left for us to use as a supposedly-sovereign country would get permanently dropped from 37% now down to 19%. This is neither free trade or free market.
  15. 20 20 from Canada writes:
    Going right along with this without question, the Harper government wants to "add as much as a million barrels a day of capacity by 2010". That's an increase of 100% in just 3 years.

    Again, if our own consumption stays put as Canadians do our part for Earth, that means that Harper would have the proportion of our oil that's reserved for the US under FTA/NAFTA/SPP permanently ratcheted up from the present 63% to 77% in just 3 years. The proportion of oil left for us to use as a supposedly-sovereign country would be permanently dropped from 37% now down to 23%.

    The meeting in Houston, Texas in January 2006, that was kept secret from the Canadian public for over a year before Radio Canada got a hold of the minutes, 'made plans for a "fivefold expansion" in oilsands production in a relatively "short time span," according to minutes of the meeting obtained by the CBC's French-language network, Radio-Canada.'

    Again assuming our own consumption staying put, the proportion of our oil reserved for the US under FTA/NAFTA/SPP would be permanently ratcheted up from the present 63% to 89%. All that would be left for us to use as a supposedly-sovereign country would be 11% ...
  16. 20 20 from Canada writes: Terry M from Houston, United States tells us "Slowing the pace is not an option." Our energy policies are set by Americans, in Houston. This is sovereignty?
  17. ken g from mississauga, writes: What is the rush? Oh, oil companies want to go as fast as possible to reap the maximum benefits to them.

    Let's be like OPEC, Alberta and Canada should control how much is produced to maximize their revenue, not the revenue of the oil companies.
  18. vic w from Canada writes: This opportunity for Canada to take back control of it's own oil is great. Simple question: Would you want oil working for you, or the other way around? Trudeau didn't do everything perfectly by any stretch of the imagination, but at least he had vision. A Canadian vision for Canadians. Something that today's politicians lack.
  19. A Big Black Dog With Two Tails from Edmonton ex St. John's, Canada writes: There's a guy out in Newfoundland. His name is Williams. Unless the inequity that has been entrenched within the existing schlamozzle is addressed, he won't be keen to link N&L's sizable Energy Warehouse (that's what their calling it as of last Tuesday) into somebody else's supply chain. As a matter of fact, don't be suprised if he starts addressing some of the problems on his own terms instead of waiting for something as nebulous and far away as a coherent energy policy that will doubtless be created by and for the usual suspects.
  20. CPT America from United States writes: I thought you Canadians were all about stopping global warming, touchie feely, CDN flagged back pack wearing, baby harp seal clubbing, intellectual property stealing, leftists? So what gives? Shouldn't you stop selling and using oil? Just thought I would ask, being that I am a CDN and CDNs need answers!
  21. W F from Canada writes: Terry M from Houston, Divided States -

    What exactly is an American doing telling us what to do in Canad and Alberta - aside from the fact that you are hopelessly addicted to our product.

    To me this is a story that is really all about money. The CEO's have come out and said 'hey Ottawa, spend money on infrastructure, immigration and training so that we can make more money on our oil'.

    Well, if Alberta wants federal involvement in it's energy future then it is going to have to finally suck up their egotism and play by national rules.
  22. The Skipper from Canada writes: The Energy Companies want a National Energy Program that involves "importing" "Cheap Mexicans" and "Cheap Chinese."
    What a novel idea ! They did this when they built the National Dream - the Canadian Pacific Railway.
  23. Jeff S from Calgary, Canada writes: It's not a shortage of workers in Fort Mac. It's the fact that that Fort Mac is literally the a*eho*e of the world. Has very limited healthcare, poor infrastructure, non-existant or overpriced housing, and frontier town feel to it. Maybe the oil exec's should start shelling out more cash to get people to go to Fort Mac. They just want to bring in the cheap labour and pay them $1 a day so they don't cut into profits and maybe lose out on their huge bonuses. There are plenty of people to go to Fort Mac to work in this country if the pay was on par with the *** one had to put up with. My price for Fort Mac would be over $1million a year to relocate my family there, and then it would be a make your money and get out mentally. And yes, I have been there many times.
  24. Stude Ham from Outremont, Canada writes:

    An NEP? Again? To be as grimy oil friendly as the latest environmental chatter from the harper-baird-bush stupidities.

    these ceo's must be careful for what they wish... and canada must be particularly wary of their hidden agendas.
  25. Doug Edwards from Canada writes: These oil executives must come from somewhere else. They certainly spent too much time studying geology or engineering and not enough time on Canadian History and Political Science.

    If the federal goverment starts medalling around in Provincial jurisdiction on oil these companies could find them selves dealing with the National Energy Policy of the Nation of Alberta, and the Nation of Nlfld., and the Nation of British Columbia etc.

    The last time the federal government tried this it put a crack in this country that still hasn't healed. The liberals in Alberta don't have to hide anymore but they still hold their meetings in a telephone booth.

    Something else has changed as well. Since the last crisis about federal intervention into provincial jurisdiction, the federal government has conceeded that any province can leave with a simple majority. How would you like to see Ralph back as the leader of the Alberta Liberation Party?
  26. James Young from Brantford, Canada writes: Ralph Klein fiddled while Alberta burned. The infrastructure of Alberta could have been advanced considerably during Ralph's tenure with a little effort. Instead, he gave each Albertan $400.00. This money should have been spent on infrastructure.

    Mr. Trudeau was 30 years ahead of his time. The NEP initiative was a policy, that should have been encompased. But, short term gain is the mantra of the people at large.

    The Tar Sands is an out of control mess, and it will take more than a few CEO's wanting a handout along with the present political leaaders to improve the situation. The newly elected Premier of Alberta just might be able to introduce some order to the Tar Sands mess. But, I am not optomistic.

    Durgan
  27. Dan Green from Palm Beach Gardens Fl., Canada writes: Some how I just knew this was coming. Reminds me of the Capital One commercials, on Canadian networks, The one where people have invaded your home, like mice, to scramble in every nook and cranny, do grab your coin. What in the world would a government, even if provincial, do with all that money. You can only build so many hospitals and roads. A few more Hockey rinks is a good idea. Soon Ottawa will come knocking for a bigger take. I would also add, this is not Norway, close, but not there, until the Federal government is NDP.
  28. Happy Optimist from Calgary, Canada writes: After reading this article I am left scratching my head. What kind of bizzaro world did I wake up to today? More government involvement? This is the solution from the oil execs? Less is always more when referring to the governement. Alberta has worked long and hard to keep government out of business. Do not screw it up by making the mistake of calling on the government for a helping hand when times are rough. With the government involved times will stay rough much longer than without.

    I guess I should cut the execs some slack. They are under a lot of pressure and have perhaps become delusional as a result of increased costs, global warming hysteria and royalty regime changes.
  29. OAK ! from Canada writes: Chris E. from Canada writes: More immigration is not the answer. We need to encourage under-employed people from other parts of Canada to take work in Alberta, and students to get the right education. National identity is more important than growth. National identity looks ahead 50 to a hundred years, growth only looks at the quarterly and annual reports. Canada is fine with 33 million people. More immigrants means more green house gas and Co2, more garbage, more urban sprawl, more demands on water resources, more policing and hospital costs, more coal and nuclear power-generating plants, more WalMarts, more wear on infrastructure, more farmland turned into suburbs, more money spent on integration, more turmoil between ethnicities, more competition for opportunities, more selling our way of life for greed. A little slowing down is what we need.

    Immigrants will bring greenhouse gases to Canada? "Global Warming" is a world wide problem. It doesn't matter where the green house gases are produced. Talk about trying to justify your bigotry.

    Canada needs immigration just to maintain its current population.
  30. Still Learning at 77 from Canada writes: The North American Union boys are thundering along like Mr d'Aquino (CCCE) requires. Then the poster kid from Texas will tell us what to do. :-)

    Google CCCE
  31. Arec Bardwin from Canada writes: Wow what a slant job. None of the CEO's quoted are from upstream (producers) energy companies. The quoted: Enbridge, a pipeline company who wants the government to build their pipelines for them. Direct Energy an electricity provider based out of England looking for a free ride. Transalta, another utilities provider, looking to be subsidized. Hardly a call for a national energy program. Please show me one Oil and Gas CEO calling for nationalization.
    Nice try Globe and Mail, but Hugo style nationalization will never happen in Canada. Socialism is way too big of a mess to fit in this tiny nation.
  32. Godfried Wasser from Canada writes: It is the Globe's sloppy reporting that causes the confusion. Who are those CEO's of the 'energy industry’? They are the pipeline guys and electricity people. Not the Oil & Gas explorers and miners .

    Also, the oil & gas industry has laid off people with a vengeance in the 1980's and 90' (right sizing). Of course there are not enough oil & gas experts and with the retiring baby boomers there will be even less.

    Alberta is too hot, and whether there is a NAFTA or not, rushing in with countless mega projects at neck break speed is not sustainable. Alberta may get scarred for generations to come. At the current rate of growth, we may have here 6 million people within 10 years wiping the Ozzy ‘Rednecks from the East’ off the map (I vote for a free Alberta, Ozzy klutz!).

    Increasing Canada's population for these so called 'Energy CEOs' so they may obtain cheap worker drones for the short term does not cut the mustard.
  33. Big Business from Calgary, Canada writes: The CEO's are saying this so that they have a concrete guideline so that they can make investment decisions. They want to make more cash and know who they have to deal with to get things done. It is all posturing.
  34. Jimmy K from Toronto, Canada writes: pffft whatever. I'll believe this the day I see the CEO of EnCana in Ottawa asking for Harper to do some Chavez-ing. Other than that, I'll mark it down to either sloppy journalism, spin, or someone completely misunderstanding what the CEOs were trying to say.
  35. Fool Monty from Vancouver, Canada writes: That's pretty funny; the CEO's actually requesting gov't involvement. Have they learned nothing from the Income Trust debacle, or from any of the other number gov't blunders as they sally forth to areas of which they know nothing about? This isn't just Flaherty bashing; I'm referring to all gov't.

    Of course, then the other shoe drops; the oil guys are looking for gov't money. Unbelieveable! There's record oil prices; these guys are making mad profits; unmatched global demand; etc, etc, etc. Yet, these CEO's are asking for a hand out. It's obscene.
  36. Journey Man from Ontario, Canada writes: We are no further ahead now than we were in the 1880's if we have to import all of our skilled and unskilled labour to build the infrastructure in this country. This is a problem across the country, and not just in Alberta (just wait until Ontario finally decides to build new or re-build existing nuclear plants).

    Here in Ontario we have a vast army of young underemployed and unskilled (and lazy?) young people sitting in their parent's basements playing video-games until they are 30-yrs old. Others are wasting away earning their BA's in farce programs like political science at various universities all at great expense to society...and will never find a job doing anything related to what they are learning.

    The skilled labour shortage is brewing into a crisis of historic proportions in this country. Part of the solution has to be a redirection of our post-secondary education $$$ into apprenticeship, technology, and applied learning (e.g., health-care). A swift boot the arse by the parents to some of our young people should also be included as part of the solution.
  37. J Lee from North Vancouver, Canada writes: Let's get over the self serving comments of "shortages of workers". What the CEO's mean is that there is a shortage of workers willing to work at the wage rate they are prepared to pay. Just imagine how many electricians, plumbers, machinists you could hire if you paid them 1/4 (or even 1/10) of what a CEO makes.
  38. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: Terry M from Houston, United States wrote: "Alberta will decide for itself what policy it’s going to implement."

    Then why, Terry M of Houston, is your back so evidently up and why exactly are you taking it upon yourself to speak on Alberta's (supposed) behalf anyway?

    Seems to me that if you really believed what you preached, you'd just shut up.
  39. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: Oops - seems I lost my final sentence re: Terry M of Houston's posts.

    Seems quite apparent that Terry M will fight for Alberta sovereignty, just so long as Alberta policy continues to be to allow US firms to rape, pillage, and destroy Alberta, and to he77 with the consequences.
  40. Greg Calgary from Canada writes: OZZY RULES THE WORLD! from Canada writes: Terry M from Houston, United States writes: Never going to happen, Albertans up to this point have been patient with all the external pressures, carbon tax, royalty adjustment, labor and infrastructure shortages, nationalization talk, high federal taxes and equalization inequality. Don’t mess with Alberta; otherwise ROC will have to pay their own bills. _______________ Guess what Terry M, you forget the east rules the country like it or not. We will have a national energy strategy and it will include ALL surpluses from Alberta. Ohhh it hurts doesn't it. AWW poor Alberta. We will mess with Alberta at will and Alberta can do NOTHING. WE will decide what strategy Alberta implements, because if Harper wants to stay in his little Minority he will obey...thats bad news for greedy people like you.

    Sorry to burst your bubble, but not going to happen. Why so angry ?
  41. Dennis sinneD. from Calgary, Canada writes: Won't happen...
  42. r b from Calgary, Canada writes: James Young from Brantford - you have outdone even the usual suspects for postings of unintentional hilarity:

    "Mr. Trudeau was 30 years ahead of his time. The NEP initiative was a policy, that should have been encompased. But, short term gain is the mantra of the people at large."

    The NEP was an exercise in socialism, with "initiatives" that, when translated into any other Canadian business, would have seen even dullard Ontarians rioting in the streets.

    Let's see now: how about the one where PetroCanada "assumed" automatic 50% ownership of any new oil and gas production facilities. I wonder how many automobile plants would be built by Ford or GM if "AutoCanada" would have a 50% ownership stake? Certainly no fewer than zero.

    Energy companies want clarity and consistency - the Globe and other socialist dreamers like yourself have spun this into delusions of calls for control from Mother Ottawa.

    Too funny.
  43. R Wolovet from United States writes: Advice from a friend: If you decide to bring in more immigrants, just watch where they come from, and what culture they bring.
  44. John E7 from Salt Spring Island, Canada writes: The problem with Fort Mac and other mini boom-towns is infrastructure. The town cant house all the people the tar sands project needs and stimulates. This means one has to live 3hrs away and drive a long rural highway to get to work.
    If the fricking oil magnates did not own so much of the land - er all of it - I'm sure the city would expand. Now the Oil Barrons want a federal handout to build infrastructure like housing. It dont matter how many skilled immigrants you throw at Fort Mac, there simply is not any place for them to live.
    Gods Teeth! To be at the mercy of such short sighted leaders...
  45. art in calgary from Canada writes: Primer Stelmach should enact all of the royalty revenue report recommendations.

    That in itself will slow development and assist the government in funding and building infrastructure.

    A national strategy isn't a bad idea. Making it law is.
  46. Old Folksinger from Canada writes: art in calgary from Canada has just hit the nail right on the head. Very well said.

    "When two people discuss the finances of a third, fraud will result."

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