BOWYER: Wanted, a government that puts first things first

Terri-Anne Bowyer is constituency manager for the UCP in Cypress-Medicine Hat. The opinions expressed are her ownAs Canada faces potential U.S. tariffs and strained diplomatic relations, the Liberal government's spending priorities have never looked more misguided. While failing to meet our NATO defence commitment of 2% GDP, Ottawa has poured $48 billion into electric vehicle initiatives and other green projects that continue to collapse, or relocate overseas.This reckless fiscal approach has real consequences. Alberta's $134 billion in oil and gas exports to America now hangs in the balance, not because of market forces, but because of Ottawa's ideological pursuit of climate initiatives at the expense of practical diplomacy. Premier Danielle Smith's recent meetings with President Trump prior to his inauguration highlight a stark contrast: while provinces pursue practical solutions, federal officials openly discuss weaponizing energy exports — a strategy experts unanimously condemn as self-defeating given North America's integrated energy infrastructure.The federal government's climate spending spree hasn't just failed to deliver results — it's actively undermined our national interests. While bureaucrats funnel billions into sub-scale industrial projects that investors won't touch, practical environmental solutions languish. Pipelines that could deliver cleaner Canadian natural gas to Asian markets remain unbuilt. The Northern Gateway and Energy East projects, which could have strengthened our energy independence, were sacrificed on the altar of climate activism.The numbers tell a damning story. Every billion spent on failed green initiatives represents resources diverted from meeting our NATO commitments — commitments that directly impact our trading relationship with the U.S. Our current trajectory, marked by chronic underinvestment in defence while pursuing costly climate programs, has contributed to unprecedented trade tensions with our closest ally.Premier Smith's six-point plan demonstrates what real leadership looks like: focusing on border security, meeting NATO commitments, and accelerating practical energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ottawa continues throwing good money after bad on climate projects that capital markets have repeatedly rejected.The solution requires a fundamental reset of priorities. Meeting our NATO obligations and maintaining strong trade relationships must take precedence over speculative climate investments. True environmental progress doesn't require abandoning fiscal responsibility or national security — it demands embracing them.Until Ottawa recognizes that effective environmental stewardship must work with market forces rather than against them, Canadians will continue paying the price through threatened trade relationships, weakened defence capabilities, and billions wasted on failed green initiatives. The time has come to demand accountability for this expensive climate activism that delivers neither economic nor environmental benefits.Terri-Anne Bowyer is constituency manager for the UCP in Cypress-Medicine Hat. The opinions expressed are her own.

BOWYER: Wanted, a government that puts first things first

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