A Vancouver protest in sympathy with the Elsipogtog First Nation (Damien Gillis) Yesterday, Canadian Ministers were attending the World Energy Congress, delivering keynote speeches. BC Minister of Natural gas non-disclosure, Rich Coleman, was in attendance, amidst negotiations for one of the world’s largest energy deals – destined to frack northeast of
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The Common Sense Canadian: Malaysian LNG promise is actually a massive BC giveaway
What was touted as a $36 Billion investment commitment by Malaysian LNG giant Petronas is actually a massive giveaway of natural gas by BC – valued at up to $400 Billion gross over the 25 year term of a secretive export licence being negotiated behind closed doors. The headline blared
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: BC LNG will be powered by massive taxpayer giveaways
photo: Tina Lovgreen / BCIT Commons As we all know Christy Clark and the BC Liberals were elected on “prosperity” from BC LNG (liquefied natural gas) that will erase debt, lower taxes and deliver the services we rely on. Of course, there is no existing BC LNG tax or royalty regime
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Kool, Topp & Guy: Did Lobbyists, Back Room Operators Kill BC NDP Campaign from Within?
On the eve of this weekend’s pivotal BC NDP Provincial Council, former senior staffer Kevin Logan examines the role back room operators played in the party’s recent failed campaign. From perennial puppet master Brian Topp to former Enbridge lobbyist and Christy Clark Chief of Staff Ken Boessenkool, this little-known team
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Kool Topp & Guy: Did Lobbyists, Back Room Operators Kill BC NDP Campaign from Within?
On the eve of this weekend’s pivotal BC NDP Provincial Council, former senior staffer Kevin Logan examines the role back room operators played in the party’s recent failed campaign. From perennial puppet master Brian Topp to former Enbridge lobbyist and Christy Clark Chief of Staff Ken Boessenkool, this little-known team
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Are You a Multi-Issue Extremist? How Activism is Becoming Terrorism
Are You a Multi-Issue Extremist? If you read this site regularly, and subscribe to the claims and advice of Rafe Mair, you probably are. Because the 81 year-old Mair is British Columbia’s most well-known and well-loved Multi-Issue Extremist. The now long-established CSIS “Counter Terrorism Strategy” has defined individuals who express
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Video: The Truth About Christy Clark’s Position on Pipelines, Tankers
From Common Sense Canadian contributor Kevin Logan comes this multimedia examination of Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberal Party’s real stand on proposed oil pipelines and tankers in BC. “What they have neglected to tell British Columbians is that their government has entered into binding agreements that ensure the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: How Cohen Recommendations, Termination Clause and BCNDP Can End Risk to Wild Salmon Economy
Let’s turn to the notion that BC has no jurisdiction over salmon farms as a result of a recent lawsuit which saw the Federal Government assume much of the oversight of the industry. While this is essentially true, there is in fact a little known clause that exists in the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: How Cohen Recommendations, Termination Clause and BCNDP Can End Risk to Wild Salmon Economy
Let’s turn to the notion that BC has no jurisdiction over salmon farms as a result of a recent lawsuit which saw the Federal Government assume much of the oversight of the industry. While this is essentially true, there is in fact a little known clause that exists in the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Oil, China and Why David Emerson Wants Alberta to Start Paying Taxes
In a recent “State of the Province” televised address, Alberta Premier Alison Redford outlined a “once in a generation” re-engineering of the province’s fiscal framework. Suddenly, her constituents’ long-cherished “Alberta Advantage” – a no provincial tax policy which has defined its sense of “self-reliance” – is on the chopping block.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Despite PM’s Assurances, Floodgates Open to Chinese Govt as Encana, Petro China Partner
Canadians are seeing red this week after a series of announcements reinforce concerns about the loss of Canadian resources and sovereignty. The focus has been the Alberta Tar Sands, but natural gas plays are also in the mix. Four days after Stephen Harper boldly stated that the CNOOC/Nexen and Petronas/Progress
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Stopping FIPA: Follow-up Action You Can Take to Halt Canada-China Trade Deal
We have been overwhelmed with your support for the Common Sense Canadian’s effort to prevent the ratification of FIPA and want to extend our thanks to the many readers who have participated so far. Since November 1, we have been reporting about the sig…
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: URGENT FIPA UPDATE: Public Comment Period Still Open for Canada-China Trade Deal
The final Environmental Assessment report for the controversial Canada-China FIPA trade deal has not been completed AND there is still time for input from Canadians! We urge our readers to share their concerns about the process and inform the Government of Canada about the significant environmental impacts of FIPA. Learn
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Did Enviro Groups Drop the Ball on Canada-China Trade Deal?
An in-depth, out-of-the-box, common sense analysis and discussion paper issued on the day of the expected FIPA ratification. Over the past month we have seen an incredible flurry of concern arise from the Harper Government’s move to ratify the Chinese FIPA. However much of the consternation expressed has not focused
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Dix committed to revoking Equivalency Agreement
After considerable due diligence it seems the Official Opposition has thoroughly aired the issue through its team of legal beagles and finally we have seen a move on the issue. Adrian Dix has declared that within one week of being elected premier he will in fact revoke the Equivalency Agreement
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: National Energy Strategy a Deception of EPIC Proportions, Designed to Fleece Canadians
In this piece, the first of a series of three, we explore why a National Energy Program is political suicide, yet something called a National Energy Strategy is all the rage… The NEP goal was a fully integrated domestic industry shielded from the whims of the global market place, while
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Time for British Columbians to Get Serious About Energy Issues
A recent poll by the Globe and Mail reveals that British Columbians place an appallingly low priority on energy matters, with just 1% identifying energy as the most critical political issue. It is incomprehensible that energy issues do not register on the radar screen of British Columbian voters, when in
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Clark’s ‘Tough New Stand’ on Enbridge Not Only Meaningless but EPICly Duplicitous
EPIC is the Energy Policy Institute of Canada, the organization building the Energy Strategy “Framework” on behalf of a variety of our corporate overlords, led by former Canfor CEO and Federal Conservative Trade Minister David Emerson. The evidence of EPIC’s ability to dominate the agenda was prominent during Harper’s Omnibus
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Cross-Border Deals with Alberta Undermine Clark’s Tougher Stance on Enbridge
Premier Christy Clark has been talking a tough game on Enbridge of late, and reaping some political benefits as a result. But how much of this is mere posturing? Here, Kevin Logan illustrates how several cross-border agreements signed by Clark’s BC Liberal Government severely hamstring the Province’s ability to reject
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