Grassroots coalition calls on Federal Government to support and implement a ‘Canadian New Deal’
Canada, December 12, 2019 – five Canadian pro resource, pro development, grassroots organizations have come together in an effort to call on the federal government to restore the balance to confederation by implementing 12 very reasonable and achievable measures. In doing so the government would alleviate the pain felt by families in the natural resource sector and allow Canada to reach its full potential.
Rally Canada (Drayton Valley,AB), The North Matters (Kitimat, BC), Region One Aboriginal Business Association [ROABA] (Lac la Biche, AB), ResourceEd for Natural Resource People (Victoria, BC) and Rally 4 Resources (Red Deer, AB) are asking that in the ’12 Days’ prior to Christmas, the government adopt one point each day:
1. Show pride in our Canadian accomplishments in resource development – Over many generations we’ve fought for safe working conditions, fair wages, equal opportunity, human rights, fair working hours, education, and holiday time. These are hard fought first world advancements that provide for an advanced quality of life. That is something to be proud of and we believe this to be an export opportunity to improving global conditions. Imagine if this is what we were to share with the world. That would result in global social justice realizations beyond any seen before.
2. Bring objectivity and common sense back to project reviews – Too often our advanced and leading-edge laws get politicized and elicit unworkable policy reactions.
Unprecedented engagement on recent Bills like C48 and C69 proved Canadians are worried about the effect of increasingly prescriptive, far reaching and unworkable laws.
These Bills desperately need amendments so major infrastructure projects can proceed through reviews with clarity, certainty and predictability.
3. Ensure Canadians are making decisions free of foreign influence. The amount of undue foreign influence in Canadian natural resource development is no longer a secret. From public relations campaigns to election interference, Canadians are waking up to the degree of foreign influence in Canadian matters.
Special interest activist organizations, many from outside of Canada, are pursuing single-minded obstructionist policy aimed at stopping Canadian resource development. Their activities are not regulated, and they are effectively lawless in their public facing campaigns. That foreign interference does not bring jobs or investment. As we are now witnessing, it only brings pain and anguish to families.
Decision making must be concerned with the process of deliberating the social, economic, legal, environmental and political effects of applying this process. Our leaders must adhere to majority consensus and not be unduly influenced, or hindered, by vocal minority groups.
4. Get international credit for our vast carbon sinks. Canada is a large country with a small population. Our massive land base constitutes a carbon sink eclipsing any carbon output by our Canadian society. Let’s get credit for that.
And before the professional activists spin us into thinking that our forests give off more carbon than they capture we’d like to add that if this is so in Canada, then it is so everywhere.
We need to apply the same assessment and measurable standards internationally. By doing that we can compare Canada to every other country. What you’ll see is we are way ahead. It’s time for us stop hurting ourselves for little global gain and to help the world catch up. The net result of that is massive global gain.
5. Be factual in regard to Canadians contribution to global GHGs – Let’s not punish Canadians when we could be helping the real emitters. Canada is a bit player in global GHG emissions yet, like good global citizens, we have led the way on carbon taxation.
But now is the time to take a serious look at the effect on families and job creating industries in relation to global GHG reduction.
Domestically, additional taxes serve to increase the cost of living and drive away investors for marginal gain in global GHG reduction. It’s time Canada held fast on where we are to give other countries a chance to catch up to us. No additional tax until the major emitting countries catch up to where we have led them.
6. Use our resources to help impoverished communities gain economic reconciliation and independence. We acknowledge Canadians’ desire for a fair and just society. Simply put, Canadians want to see their neighbours succeed. On the domestic front, Canadians recognize past injustices that have served to marginalize communities and cultures such as First Nations and Metis. Many of the challenges are embedded in a system that offers no quick fix to the system itself.
Many resource development opportunities offer Canadian First Nation and Metis communities the ability to overcome systemic issues that have limited success for generations. Resource development opportunities offer First Nations and Metis an ability to immediately reduce poverty and gain independence from system challenges.
We believe economic reconciliation through inclusive resource development opportunities is the fastest way to independence garnering social justice today.
7. Protect Canadians from professional activists public relations rhetoric by requiring a disclaimer on activists and their information. Canadians want to be able to tell their story of success to the world. But we have a problem.
For 35 years Canadian resources have experienced seriously damaging demarketing campaigns run deliberately by foreign funded activists.
These campaigns have given the world the wrong impression of Canadians and have led to public policy directions that have hurt our communities.
Instead of touting the environmental accomplishments, high standards and leading practices in Canada they have painted a picture of detriment and decline.
Activists themselves have admitted that their campaigns are subjective opinion, made up of rhetorical hyperbole and are not meant to be taken literally.
The problem is they are taken literally and it’s hurting people.
We advocate for a truth in advertising law that would require professional activist organizations to include a disclaimer notice with their messages. The disclaimer would inform their audience that the information being presented by them is opinion, not fact, and meant only to be illustrative.
8. Every Canadian has the right to work. Ensure professional activists cannot interfere with that right.
Many Canadians are unfamiliar with their Constitution. Contained within it is the Right to Work.
As their anti-development campaigns rage on, foreign funded professional activists are putting this Constitutional right at risk, creating an injustice to millions of Canadians who have the right to choice of profession.
Don’t allow single-minded special interest activists to derail Canadians’ rights. The Right to Work must be part of every statutory decision regarding resource development.
9. It is incumbent on Canadian governments to develop resources in the public interest and for the best value.
As with the ‘Right to Work’ above another Constitutional consideration to be invoked at every resource development decision: The responsibility of Canadian governments to develop resources in the public interest.
Natural resource assets in Canada are owned by its citizens. When developed the proceeds go to supporting our collective prosperity and social safety net. Federal transfers take place to ensure national balance between the haves and have-nots.
Contrast that with development in other nations where the resource is owned by the individual. When these resources are developed it makes an individual rich.
Every resource development decision must include the obligation of Canadian governments to develop resources for the best value in the public interest.
10. Ensure the CRA are investigating the charitable status of all active ENGO’s in Canada.
Visit many anti-development activists’ websites and one can see their intent and mandate is to stop resource development. Hard working resource sector citizens who are being forced out of work due to these activists’ activities are curious as to how this is a charitable activity.
These kinds of organizations shouldn’t be allowed to hide behind, or receive the tax benefits of, charitable status.
11. Keep special interest politics out of Canadian classrooms.
More and more often we are learning of special interest activists deploying political activities in Canadian classrooms. Many of these activities are unvetted by school boards or parents. Upon review, the activists’ content is often factually incorrect or biased toward the activists’ goals.
There is no place for politics in Canadian classrooms.
12. Restore the federation. On the 12th day we ask that politicization of our resource sectors be substituted with compassion for the families affected. 10s of thousands of Canadians are suffering this year. They need to know that their country cares for them. It’s time to bring Canadians together.
The plea of the natural resource family:
“Dear Prime Minister and Cabinet Members,
This month, as parliament convenes for the first session since the federal election, tens of thousands of Canadians in our natural resource sector are needlessly suffering.
For natural resource families December isn’t a time of celebration and joy. It is instead a continued reminder of a silent Canadian crisis that isn’t in the headlines; the demise of the Canadian who works hard and can earn a good living. It’s quietly happening in the homes of hard-working Canadians all across our country that rely on our responsible natural resource development for their livelihoods and community well-being.
Capital is fleeing to other countries, causing businesses to close up or move elsewhere. Our natural resources sectors are bleeding jobs; and as a result, parents are struggling to feed their children and pay their mortgages; the stress of uncertainty is weighing people down. In many cases, people have spent their savings and witnessed their home equity evaporate as home values crash in once thriving communities. And suicide, crime and drug use rates are increasing exponentially.
This silent Canadian crisis urgently needs attention.
Our country desperately needs leaders that fully support our world class resource industries and the people who work in them.”
Source: http://www.canadiannewdeal.ca/