ECA Review Newspaper - 2017-11-08

4 N o v e m b e r 9 ' 1 7 H A N N A / C o r o n a t i o n / S t e t t l e r , A b . E C A r e v i e w
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On the Other Hand
Prophetic insights
or wishful naivety
by B.P. Schimke
In 1989 when then Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney signed the U.S.-
Canada Trade Agreement and
subsequently when NAFTA was implemented
in 1994, I was concerned it
would erode the sovereignty of
Canada.
Decades later, I still don’t like foreign
companies successfully suing our government
when a public policy
negatively affects their profitability.
But overall Canada has prospered
under NAFTA and the trade dispute
mechanism has protected Canadian
sovereignty.
“
This strategy by
Canada (and Mexico) forces
the U.S. negotiators to
make the next move—either
negotiate in good faith or
move to cancel NAFTA.
The unintended consequence of
NAFTA was the ease and profitability
for Canadian companies to focus
almost solely on the North American
market. Now we are re-negotiating
NAFTA with two men, the American
President and his chief negotiator,
Robert Lighhtizer, each with no understanding
that negotiation means give
and take.
Our NAFTA team headed by
Chrystia Freeland faces what I call the
“Chamberlain dilemma”. To appease
Adolf Hitler and avert war in 1937, then
British Prime Minister, Neville
Chamberlain, signed the Munich
Agreement to give Germany
Czechoslovakia. He chose to save
Britain and sacrifice their friend,
Czechoslovakia. Unfortunately, we
know the rest of the story.
Winston Churchill, on the other
hand was prophetic when he said,
“England has been offered a choice
between war and shame. She has
chosen shame we get war.”
If we give on the ‘big asks’, Canada
will be profoundly changed. Two areas
under negotiation are critical. First the
‘big ask’ to remove Chapter 19, an independent
tribunal that rules on trade
disputes, in favour of American courts.
Over the years, American corporations
lose most tribunal cases simply
because they break the rules! What an
advantage to have your misbehaviour
adjudicated by friendly courts with
judges who are adulterated by politics,
self-interest and money.
The second ‘big ask’ is around the
rules of copyright. The Americans
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East Central Alberta
EVIEW
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V I E W P O I N T S
want extended terms on copyright and
punitive fines and jail terms for violators.
If our negotiators aren’t
extremely careful, the Intellectual
Property (IP) clause could usurp our
Canadian laws and once again make
us subservient to American courts.
Because IP is the future of international
trade and the Canadian judicial
system is far superior, it is imperative
we keep sovereignty over copyright
laws.
Canada seems to be playing their
cards wisely. Stay at the table, stay
calm, don’t bad mouth the “bad
mouther”, don’t show fear, continue to
court American stakeholders who
understand the value of NAFTA and
stand firm on the non-negotiables.
This strategy by Canada (and
Mexico) forces the U.S. negotiators to
make the next move—either negotiate
in good faith or move to cancel
NAFTA.
Cancellation will hurt many individual
Americans and communities.
Ironically, the vast majority of states
that have Canada as their number one
trading partner vote Republican. Alas,
the power of foolery and ignorance!
Losing NAFTA initially would take
a huge bite out of Canada’s economy,
but there are many other trading
options. Falling under the courts of a
foreign nation with suspect jurisprudence
is an irreversible erosion of
sovereignty.
The negotiators from Canada have
no crystal ball, but I believe they have
more of Churchill’s prophetic insights
than Chamberlain’s wishful naivety.
Bouquet
of the Week
Bouquet to our First
Responders, the RCMP, the
Volunteer Fire Departments
and ambulance personnel who
often times have a thankless job
dealing with tragic situations in
fires, collisions, tragedies and
crime scenes.
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PRAIRIEVIEW
Climate change dogma
by Herman Schwenk
I came across an article online the
other day that just blew my mind away.
This article has to do with Ontario’s
current electricity situation.
In some of my previous columns I
have made reference to the fact that
the economy in Ontario is rapidly
becoming a monumental crisis but the
statistics that are reported in this
article are just incredible.
The sad part of this is that while
Ontario is an extreme situation, it is
not an isolated case. There are many
jurisdictions that are headed in the
same direction, our government here
in Alberta being a prime example.
It seems that climate change being
caused by C02 emissions from man
consuming hydrocarbons has become
dogma the world over.
People all over have become totally
irrational on the issue and refuse to
consider the evidence of real science.
It seems to be like a new religion.
Real science proves that the effect of
C02 on climate change is very small.
Here are some of the statistics that I
came across. If Ontario continues with
its present policy electricity rates will
continue to increase for the next 20
years.
The rate will jump 52 per cent in
northern Ontario. From November
2016 to November 2017 the rate paid for
wind generation was $140. per megawatt
(MWH) and $480. per MWH for
solar energy, that was seven times the
rate paid for nuclear power at $66. per
MWH and eight times the rate paid for
Hydro electricity at $58. per MWH.
As we all know the wind does not
blow all the time and the sun does not
shine all the time so they have had to
increase their generating gas capacity
by 9 per cent to make up for when
renewable generation is not producing.
High prices have reduced demand so
they are now selling power to the US at
below cost.
The price of their electricity has
increased by 71 per cent between 2008
and 2016 costing Ontario 74,000 manufacturing
jobs and yet renewable
generates less than seven per cent of
their electricity.
How can any one think that this
policy makes any sense? Those of us
who know that it is impossible for C02
emissions to be the driver of climate
change are accused of being climate
change deniers.
No! We do not deny that there is
some climate change. We deny that it
is caused by C02.
The real deniers are the environmentalists,
main stream media and
the majority of politicians who all deny
the evidence of real science.
I believe there are many politicians
that do understand the real cause of
any climate change that is taking
place but do not have the courage to
publicly stand up to their colleagues
and dispute the C02 theory, which is
too bad.
To me the real villains in the climate
change dogma are the media.
I feel the media have the expertise
and responsibility to research their
material before it is published or
broadcast. When it comes to climate
change what we are getting from
them, to use Trump’s description, is
fake news.
In my opinion, the best thing that
Trump has done for the USA and the
world was withdraw from the Paris
climate change agreement.
Canada should do the same. If we
continue on our present path of subsidizing
electricity rates instead of
letting the market determine those
rates, we will soon become uncompetitive
with the US as has already
happened in Ontario.
It won’t matter what is negotiated on
the NAFTA agreement. Canadian jobs
will continue to gravitate to the US
simply because the cost of production
will be lower there.
For 70 years the Soviet Union existed
under the dogma of communism and
we all know how that worked out.
If some common sense does not prevail
on the issue of climate change
dogma, the whole world will gradually
end up in the same situation, as this
has the potential to destroy the world
economy.
Joyce Webster
Publisher/Editor
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