There’s an old proverb that warns you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, but don’t believe it.For those who watched the signing of the West Coast pipeline Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith, I think it’s good to examine every aspect of this apparent “gift horse.” This MOU needs to be scrutinized in as much detail as possible to evaluate if Smith and her negotiating team have achieved the best scenario possible, for Albertans first — and for Canadians second. (That would be the same order of priority for any other province.).SIMS: Alberta must fight the debt.This is therefore not a call to stop thinking critically, but an argument that we’re at least moving in the right direction.What hinted to me that this MOU was moving in the right direction was that there was very little for Carney to personally gain by signing it, while there was a great deal for him to lose.Western Standard’s energy reporter David Weichnik offered his ideas on Hannaford about what exactly Carney had to gain. “Free publicity” and “to get Alberta off his back and Danielle Smith off his back” were Weichnik’s sensible suggestions. .“Addressing Alberta’s independence movement” wasn’t explicitly stated, but that was a serious concern for the Prime Minister. As a technocrat, Carney would’ve conducted an informal risk assessment before entering this MOU. When he did, he put himself and the Liberal party in their proper place — last place — for a change. I think there’s some evidence for that.Carney finally did something right, and it came at no small risk to his office as Prime Minister or to the Liberals’ shaky minority government. From an ideological standpoint, this MOU was a risk to Carney’s reputation as a leading climate activist as well as a risk to the federal Liberals’ internal cohesion..OLDCORN: Religious freedom is not a bargaining chip for Carney's minority government Liberals.There are net zero ideologues in all federal and provincial parties. What Carney did by signing this MOU is blasphemy to them. You’ll be able to identify “them” in the coming days by their various screeds and virtue-signalling. They’ve already begun.After helping Carney survive a confidence vote, Green Party MP Elizabeth May was crestfallen from the signing. “This is simply unimaginable,” she sighed during her livestreamed reaction. “It completely sets the stage for the complete abandonment of Canada’s climate policy.”.Former Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri couldn’t resist reposting a tweet from Jody Wilson-Raybould, who likened the agreement to watching, “my former Cabinet colleagues say & do the exact opposite of what they claimed to be committed to when I was there.”“Liberals sold out every Canadian who voted for them,” Ferreri chimed in on Facebook. “How can you ever trust them??”Even if she’s politicizing, Ferreri has a point. According to his book Value(s), Carney is the veritable high priest of net zero..BLACKETT: The poisoned chalice — the ‘anti-woke’ bill that actually authorizes woke rule.It appears there may be some empty pews for the Prime Minister to face in the days ahead.With the Bloc already declaring its opposition to the MOU and Stephen Guilbeault jumping ship by resigning from Cabinet, there’s evidence this initiative is a bit too focused on Canada for most climate alarmists. That’s fine. Let them whine and cry, but don’t let them get in the way of Alberta’s survival — integral to Canada’s survival. Survival is really what this is all about. It’s the biggest reason that Carney is changing tack and alienating so many of his colleagues with this politically risky move..I’ve argued repeatedly that oil and gas are critical to Canada’s sovereignty, particularly to avoid becoming dependent on foreign energy, like Germany depends on Russia. Canada risked falling into the same trap with an immediate and haphazard dash to a circular economy. But the ideological drive for energy transition can and must be put on hold to face reality. Geopolitical, cultural, and economic conflicts are active everywhere in the world, and they demand that we question net zero ideology as a driver for public policy. Ideology can’t keep a country afloat. What, therefore, will Canada do?.MACLEOD: Pipeline promises, political games: Why Ottawa’s ‘lifeline’ to Alberta oil always ends in betrayal.What will Albertans choose?Many Albertans remain entirely dissatisfied with this MOU, and there are clear reasons for this.Supposing that any pipeline does get built over opposition from Coastal First Nations, there will be a 40% increase in industrial carbon tax over an undetermined period..There’s also the necessary addition of carbon capture, which, along with increased industrial carbon tax, would render Alberta’s oil a less competitive product.Then there’s speculation that a regime change in Venezuela could devalue Alberta crude if Venezuelan oil was allowed to flood the American market. But any regime change and market realignment won’t be simple. Remember, the whole world is in survival mode.China and Russia are going to have a big problem with a regime change in Venezuela..JOHNSON: Remember the ArriveCAN scandal? New ‘bait and switch’ report exposes systemic problem in federal procurement.Russia’s state-owned Roszarubezhneft has two joint ventures with Venezuela’s state-owned PDVSA, in the Boqueron and Perija oilfields, producing about 16,600 barrels per day (bpd). On November 20, the Maduro regime approved a 15-year extension on those ventures..If that isn’t convincing, consider China’s imports of Venezuelan crude, which average between 200,000 to 300,000 bpd over a decade. China buys up to 90% of Venezuela’s exports in any given month. Is Xi Jinping just going to let that go?Alberta’s oil, which Carney is correctly pivoting toward, is essential in this time of economic instability. Canada will require it and both American and Asian market access to remain a sovereign nation, and Carney knows this. Most Canadians understand this MOU is, in some sense, beneficial for Canada, and that’s reflected in the increasing popular support for a pipeline, even in BC. .MCCRAE: Brodie vs. Chief Casimir in the Kamloops ‘mass graves’ controversy.Now there is a choice for Albertans to make, and I think they’ve been through enough deception from Ottawa to look the “gift horse” in the mouth and make their own minds up. As the Prime Minister revealed by bucking the net zero trend, Canada won’t survive without Alberta. Looking this “gift horse” in the mouth, we see the big reason Carney caved in to this MOU — survival. That’s the big reason a pipeline will materialize, if Albertans decide this is at last a fair shot for them.
