Alberta is finding some unlikely allies in Ontario’s manufacturing sector over Ottawa’s net-zero polices.This time it’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland who has managed to get on the wrong side of the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada (CCMBC) with comments at last week’s WEF meetings in Switzerland that Canada’s industrial heartland needs to “retool” to conform to the Liberal government’s net-zero goals.Freeland also “erroneously” claimed to her Davos cohorts that "decarbonization is the singular issue defining the world economy” and repeated other Liberal cabinet members' dubious claims about the energy transition away from fossil fuels being well underway in this country, CCMBC president Catherine Swift said in an interview..At the rate this government is driving manufacturers out of the country to more welcoming jurisdictions, any 'retooling' will be done outside of Canada far away from the Liberal government and its destructive policies."CCMBC president Catherine Swift .In an interview, Swift said it demonstrates “a complete lack of knowledge about the Canadian manufacturing sector and what it requires to continue to provide well-paid jobs to Canadians and sizeable tax revenues to governments.”The net result will be to drive manufacturing businesses out of the country, a process she said is already well underway.“None of this is true. The world is currently consuming more fossil fuel-generated energy than ever and all credible forecasts are that this will continue for some decades to come. At the rate this government is driving manufacturers out of the country to more welcoming jurisdictions, any 'retooling' will be done outside of Canada far away from the Liberal government and its destructive policies."."Throughout the tenure of this government, the only things that have been helped along by their policies have been the exodus of investment, stagnation in the vital oil and gas sector, further erosion of manufacturing, massive taxpayer subsidies of profitable foreign companies in the declining EV and battery sector, deteriorating national unity and a worsening competitive environment for Canadian firms,".Unlike Alberta and Saskatchewan — which are well acquainted with the Liberals ‘ideologically’ driven policies — Swift said Ontario is a major consumer of energy, especially in the manufacturing sector. But Swift said it’s becoming a constant drum beat across almost all government departments.Not only are Ottawa’s energy policies penalizing producers, they’re also driving up costs for consumers of that energy — manufacturers — and making exports uncompetitive. Canadians in all parts of the country need to be more aware of how integrated the economy actually is and support polices that promote growth rather than destroy it."Throughout the tenure of this government, the only things that have been helped along by their policies have been the exodus of investment, stagnation in the vital oil and gas sector, further erosion of manufacturing, massive taxpayer subsidies of profitable foreign companies in the declining EV and battery sector, deteriorating national unity and a worsening competitive environment for Canadian firms," she said.“Man, Alberta, punches above its weight very significantly. And it just makes me mad. I mean, yes, I'm an Ontarian. But it makes me mad that people don't have a good understanding of how all these things work because they would vote differently if they did. At least, I think they would.
