Canadians want oil sands production cut
Survey respondents also want to see provinces – not just Ottawa – at coming climate-change talks in Copenhagen
Brian Laghi
Globe and Mail
Aug. 03, 2009
Provincial premiers will meet in Regina this week amid new poll results that show a majority of Canadians think oil sands production should be cut as Canada grapples with reducing greenhouse gases.
The poll, conducted for the group Environmental Defence, finds that 52 per cent of those surveyed want to slow down oil sands development and invest instead in clean-energy job creation. The poll, provided to The Globe and Mail, found that another 29 per cent believe oil sands production should be increased, while 19 per cent don't know.
The issue of global warming is expected to be on the agenda when the premiers gather for meetings in the Saskatchewan capital starting Wednesday. Canada is preparing to join in climate-change talks in Copenhagen later this year, and some provincial premiers have asked to be involved.
The poll, conducted by Angus Reid Strategies on July 27 and 28, also found that 46 per cent of respondents want the provinces to be involved in Copenhagen, compared with 41 per cent, who would prefer to leave the issue to the federal government. The poll surveyed 1,012 Canadian adults.
The burgeoning growth of the oil sands is a significant issue for Canada as the federal government works on its own new strategies in advance of Copenhagen. Matt Price of Environmental Defence said that if oil sands emissions are allowed to grow and Canada adopts a nationwide cap on emissions, the oil sands might crowd out other development.
“Everyone else gets squished out over time,” Mr. Price said.
Alberta and Saskatchewan want Ottawa to stay with a system of so-called intensity targets, which would allow the oil and gas sector to grow, but require companies to reduce their emissions per barrel of oil or per 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas. However, a recent bill introduced in the United States Congress would establish a national cap and penalize countries whose own regimes are seen to be slack.
Mr. Price added that, although allowing the provinces to attend at Copenhagen might puzzle other countries, doing so might also push Ottawa to shoot for more aggressive targets.
Both Quebec and Alberta have been lobbying Ottawa on the issue.
“It would probably confuse Brazil,” Mr. Price said. “[But] the federal government has not stood up, so [it] might not really hurt.”
Earlier this summer, Quebec Premier Jean Charest said that Ottawa should consult with the provinces before it makes any presentation at the Copenhagen conference.
Finally, the survey found that 72 per cent of Canadians believe that the designing of government regulations on climate change needs to happen in public. Ottawa is currently in the process of designing a new cap-and-trade system for Canada, and will release new rules between now and next December.
Under cap-and-trade, companies are given permits to emit a maximum amount of greenhouse gases.
Those whose exceed those limits can buy credits from companies that have performed better than their allowable limits. The system acts both as a reward for overperformance and a penalty for exceeding the limits.
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