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For almost three years now, we Albertans have put all our respect eggs in one basket the Trans Mountain Pipeline.

We have seen Trans Mountain as the ultimate symbol of whether the federal Liberal government respects our contributions to Confederation or places us behind their obsession with climate change and carbon emissions.

Its time to add a second basket.

By the end of February, the federal cabinet has to decide if it will approve the Teck Frontier oilsands project near (but not in) Wood Buffalo National Park north of Fort McMurray.

The project should be a slam dunk for the feds, if for no other reason than it will generate about $12 billion in taxes for Ottawa over its 41-year lifespan.

And Ottawa desperately needs new revenue sources.

The federal deficit this year is already going to be at least $8 billion higher than forecast in last Marchs budget $28 billion instead of $20 billion. And thats before any of the $57 billion in new spending promised by Justin Trudeau and his party during this falls election campaign.

Just to cover the Liberals higher-than-expected commitment to civil servant pensions would require the revenues from two new pipelines plus another Frontier-sized oilsands project.

Therefore, the fiscal case for Frontier is obvious from the feds point of view.

But the economic case is obvious, too.

Construction of Frontier would generate 7,000 jobs in Alberta and upwards of 1,000 more in other provinces. Long-term operation of the new mine would create 2,500 permanent jobs not only in oilsands extraction, but also in state-of-the-art cogeneration facilities that turn waste heat into electricity, world-class waste disposal, fish habitat protection, river water treatment, bridges, roads, an airfield and a workers camp.

According to the joint federal-provincial assessment committee that examined the Frontier application, the project would also add more than $12 billion a year to Albertas GDP and nearly $8 billion in family incomes in the province.

The Alberta government would receive nearly $1.4 billion a year in new revenues to help balance the budget or build new schools and hospitals. And municipalities in the area would receive hundreds of millions a year in property taxes.

It has been widely reported that the JRP (the joint federal-provincial review panel) said the project should go ahead despite the environmental harm it would do and the disruption it would cause First Nations. What the JRP actually said was that the national benefits outweigh the potential harm Frontier MIGHT cause.

Teck Resources, the mines developer, has signed benefit-sharing agreements with all 14 First Nations and Metis communities in the area, and has even scheduled land reclamation to ensure resident buffalo herds always have sufficient grazing land.

Frontier couldnt cross more Ts or dot more Is.

Yet already the Trudeau cabinet is getting squiffy.

The new Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson (the North Vancouver MP who Westerners were assured understood their frustrations because he was born in Saskatoon), has said hes wrestling with how to approve Frontier and still remain true to the Liberals emissions commitments to the United Nations. (And dont forget their commitments to Greta Thunberg!)

Understand that failure to build Frontier will not prevent a single gram of emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Worldwide oil demand will continue to grow until at least 2050. If oil-consuming countries dont get oil from us, theyll get it from somewhere else.

And since the JRP estimates Frontier will produce fewer emissions per barrel than at least half of the convention oil wells in North America, oil provided to international markets from other countries is likely to raise emissions.

But perhaps most importantly, if the Trudeau government says no to Frontier, that will add greatly to support for Alberta independence.

Here is the original post:
GUNTER: If the federal Liberals respect Alberta, they'll approve Teck Frontier - Edmonton Sun

OTTAWA The Liberal government has likely painted itself into a corner on carbon taxes, particularly after Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said he was wrestling with the approval of a major oilsands mine.

Ottawa has declined to commit to major carbon tax increases after 2022, despite Liberal claims that the levy will play a key role in meeting their climate targets. The Liberal government has committed to meeting its 2030 Paris agreements as well as a more recent pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Wilkinson on Wednesday signalled that the 2050 target could weigh heavily on his decision to either approve or reject Teck Resources $20.6-billion oilsands mine in Alberta, saying it was not clear the project would fit into the Liberals environmental goals.

That is something that we will have to be discussing and wrestling with as we make a decision one way or the other, Wilkinson told reporters in Calgary on Wednesday.

The stakes are very, very high

The Frontier project north of Fort McMurray would mark the most significant new investment in the Alberta oilpatch in years. It is expected to generate $70 billion in tax revenue for the federal, provincial and local governments, create 7,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent jobs.

It would also generate about 4.1 million megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year over its 40-year lifespan. A federal-provincial review this summer found that the project would be in the public interest, while also laying out a number of environmental damages that would come from the mine.

Wilkinson will make a final decision before the end of February on whether to approve the project.

But killing it would be a major blow, said Alberta Environment Minister Jason Nixon.

It would send a signal to investors that Alberta is not open for business and the federal government is going to go out of their way to stop projects. The stakes are very, very high, he told the Edmonton Journal.

Wilkinsons dilemma over the approval seems to underscore the challenge facing Prime Minster Justin Trudeau as he continues to claim that the Liberals can accommodate environmental concerns while also grow the economy. The environment minister will have to account for new sources of greenhouse gas emissions like Frontier, even as his office has declined to raise its carbon tax over the $50 per tonne threshold.

A report by the Parliamentary Budget Office, meanwhile, estimates that Ottawa would have to introduce various carbon levies of a combined $102 per tonne by 2030 in order to meet its environmental goals. By its own projections, the Liberal government is currently set to fall well short of meeting its Paris targets.

Various environmental policies under Trudeau have been met with intense criticism by some voters, particularly those in oil-rich Western provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan. Critics of the policies argue that carbon emissions reduction should come entirely through technology, rather than taxes placed on households.

Wilkinson has said his office would conduct an early review of the carbon tax in 2020 and a second review in 2022, where it will consider further increases above the $50 threshold. Trudeau recently laid out directions in his mandate letter for Wilkinson, which included strengthening existing environmental policies while seeking to exceed Canadas 2030 targets.

A spokesperson for Wilkinson said Ottawa would close the gap on its emissions reduction shortfalls by planting two billion trees, subsidizing electric vehicles, retrofitting homes, and subsidizing clean technologies through a separate $5-billion fund.

Environmental groups broadly agree that Ottawa needs to raise its carbon tax well beyond $50 per tonne, and that it should be more open about the pace of that increase in order to give families and businesses time to plan for the additional costs.

What we need to see is transparency and consistency in how this is applied, said Josha MacNab, director of policy at the Pembina Institute, an environmental group.

What weve heard from business and industry consistently is that changing the rules of the game, rolling back policy, introducing new policy, not being clear about whats happening its not helpful.

Industry groups, meanwhile, have long claimed that Ottawa could continue to approve emissions-intensive projects like oilsands facilities, while achieving emissions reductions through other measures.

Oilsands producers have managed to make strides in reducing emissions in the past 20 years, largely through technological investments that they claim will continue to drive down greenhouse gas emissions and costs.

What we need to see is transparency and consistency

The Frontier project has been called one of the last major oilsands mines that will be built in northern Alberta, largely because producers are increasingly using steam-driven production methods as a way to target deeper-lying bitumen formations.

A November report by Canadas Ecofiscal Commission found that carbon taxes would have to reach as high as $210 per tonne by 2030 in order to meet the countrys targets, a move that it said might prove politically challenging. The increase would raise costs of gas by roughly 40 cents per litre, the report estimated.

The report said that the alternative to rising carbon taxes could be achieved through regulations, which it said was an even more costly option. People both opposed and supportive of carbon taxes have warmed to the more expensive regulatory option, as it is often hidden from sight and less likely to raise a political fight.

Under the Harper government, Canada agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. Trudeau promised in September to implement legally binding policies that would bring Canada to net-zero emissions by 2050 if re-elected.

Read the original post:
Liberals in dilemma over carbon taxes, greenhouse gas emissions and a $20B mine in Alberta - National Post

OTTAWA The federal government has signed the first of what it hopes will be 13 funding agreements for a new rent supplement for low-income households.

The announcement todayon the $1.4-billion joint funding deal with Ontario will help the province roll out the Canada Housing Benefit next spring.

The benefit willgo tofamilies who are already on, or eligible to join,wait lists for social housing units, as well as those already living in community housing.

The Trudeau Liberals plan to sign similar deals with each province and territory, tailored to each jurisdictions needs, which is one reason why negotiations on the deals have taken as long as they have.

Theportable housing benefit is budgetedto cost$4 billion over 10 years, but the plan requires provinces and territories to pick up half the costs.

Federal spending plans peg the average subsidy at $3,000 a year, but Parliaments spending watchdog has warned the amountfalls short of helping the most financially stretched households, and could create pressure to increase rents in subsidized housing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2019.

The Canadian Press

Go here to see the original:
Ontario signs on to housing help from the federal Liberal government - CityNews Calgary

Last year, the Hong Kong government put forward a bill seeking to ban the sale of alternative smoking products, including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), heat-not-burntobaccoproducts and herbal cigarettes, provoking a fierce backlash from the industry and local smokers.

It is understood that recently during a meeting with lawmakers, the Food and Health Bureau said firmly that an across-the-board ban on the alternative smoking products is the way to go.

Earlier, the Liberal Party suddenly put forward an amendment to the bill, under which the party agrees that while the sale of e-cigarettes should be banned, heat-not-burn products should be handled separately and that they should be dealt with in the same manner as conventional cigarettes.

Sources have revealed that the Liberal Party has started approaching other political parties in the Legislative Council to lobby for its proposal of regulate but not ban on heat-not-burn products.

It is said that although certain parties are still digging their heels in and favoring a sweeping ban, some others have begun to soften their stance, believing that the government should analyze the reaction of smokers and cigarette retailers from a more rational angle, estimating that the amendment proposed by the Liberal Party may stand a chance of getting passed in Legco.

Peter Shiu Ka-fai, the Liberal lawmaker representing the wholesale and retail sector in the Legco functional constituency and spearheading the regulate but not ban push, has explained that people have often confused e-cigarettes with heat-not-burn products.

The fact is, he said, the two products are completely different when it comes to the substances and chemicals they contain, with heat-not-burn cigarettesbearing a close resemblance to conventional cigarettes in terms of their ingredients.

As such, Shiu argued that if the authorities clamp down on heat-not-burn cigarettes, it will give rise to questions as to why conventional tobacco products are not completely banned as well.

Meanwhile, it is understood that the government has been thrown off guard by the bill amendment put forward by the Liberals, and the fate of Shius proposal of going easy on heat-not-burn cigaretteswill pretty much depend on whether his party can pull off bipartisan support from both the pro-establishment camp and the pan-dems in the legislature.

A few months ago, a number of parties in the pro-democracy camp were still inclined toward banning the alternative smoking products as proposed by the government.

Nevertheless, their attitude on this issue has begun to change recently.

As a pan-democratic figure has said bluntly, while there has been evidence showing the substantial health risks posed by e-cigarettes to the human body and that he agrees that they must be banned, he is not sure if heat-not-burn cigarettes should be banned as well.

Given the similar ingredients contained in heat-not-burn cigarettes and conventional cigarettes, the pan-dem says he doesnt understand the logic behind cracking down on the former but letting off the latter.

Apart from the rationale argument, as we have learned, the Liberals have another advantage, i.e. time.

According to the analysis of another pan-dem, as the Legco House Committee is still unable to elect a new chairperson despite having held 10 meetings, one can assume that it is highly unlikely for the bills committee, which is currently discussing the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019, to finish its scrutiny anytime soon.

And given that there are only about seven months left in the current Legco session, if some lawmakers mount filibusters in the bills committee meetings, chances are, the government would be unable to arrange for the resumption of second reading of the bill by July next year.

If that scenario comes true, the bill will automatically be dead.

But even so, not all pro-establishment lawmakers are willing to rally behind the Liberal Party on this issue.

For example, Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong has expressed in no uncertain terms her unwavering support for banning all e-cigarettes as well as heat-not-burn cigarettes.

As a lot is at stake for the e-cigarette industry, there is chatter that key players of the sector are now working aggressively to lobby not only major political parties but also lawmakers without any political affiliation.

This article appeared in the Hong Kong Economic Journal on Dec 19

Translation by Alan Lee

[Chinese version ]

Contact us at [emailprotected]

JC/RC

See more here:
Liberal Party pushes middle path on alternative smoking products - EJ Insight

A Liberal MP is denying allegations, broadcast on an Iranian-language television network, that he has worked with and accepted money from Iran's government.

"These accusations are absolutely false and unfounded," Majid Jowhari told CBC News in a written statement. "I strongly deny any accusations."

The allegations against the member of Parliament for Richmond Hill were made by freelance journalist Alireza Sassani on the program Window on the Homeland on the Iran-e-Farda network.

CBC News has not been able to independently verify Sassani's claims.

Sassani is described as a close collaborator of Masoud Molavi, an Iranian intelligence agent who defected and revealed details of Iranian influence operations overseas.

Molavi was shot dead on the streets of Istanbul on November 14. He had been granted asylum in Turkeyafter fleeing Iran and had set up a digital channel, BlackBox, which he used to broadcast revelations about corruption and wrongdoing within the Iranian regime.

The U.S. government blamed his assassination on Iran's intelligence services.

Describing Iranian government influence operations in other countries, Sassani said that "Masoud talked to me about someone by the name of Majid Jowhari. He's a member of the Parliament of Canada. He's from the Liberal Party, representing Richmond Hill.

"He said that Jowhari was in touch with some of the intelligence officers of Iran, and that he even visited the representatives of Taeb and Mojtaba Khamenei. He even received financial support from these people.

"Now he's been elected in Canada for a second time."

Hossein Taeb is the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence division. Mojtaba Khamenei is a son of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and is sometimes described as head of the Basij militia, a pro-regime force that is heavily involved in suppressing protests in Iran.

Since 2010, the IRGC has been a listed entity under Canada's Special Economic Measures Act. The law prohibits Canadians from engaging in any financial, service or goods-related transactionswith listed entities and individuals; Hossein Taebhimself is a listed individual under the law. Part of the IRGC is also listed as a terrorist group in Canada.

Mojtaba Khamenei has not been named as a listedindividual under the Special Economic Measures Act. He was, however, designated last month by the U.S. TreasuryDepartment "for representing the Supreme Leader in an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed to a government position aside from work in the office of his father," according to a press release. The assets of those designated by Treasury are blocked, and Americans are banned from dealing with them.

"The Supreme Leader has delegated a part of his leadership responsibilities toMojtaba Khamenei, who worked closely with the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and also the Basij Resistance Force (Basij) to advance his father's destabilizing regional ambitions and oppressive domestic objectives," says the Treasury release.

Jowharisaid today that he's being singled out "without a shred of evidence ...

"Those who spread these slanderous and baseless accusations want to instigate hate and fear without providing a single fact to support it. We should stand together against this hateful behaviour."

The allegation is already drawing pointed political reaction, with Conservative Sen. Linda Frum calling for an investigation.

It's not the first time Jowhari has had to push back against claims that he is close to the regime in Iran.

Shortly after he was elected in 2015, he was heavily criticized for inviting three Iranian parliamentarians to visit him in his riding office. He also drew negative attention for some of his tweets including one he sent out during the wave of protests that shook Iran in December 2017.

Jowhari said he hoped the protesters would be able to demonstrate "with the support of their elected government".

Jowhari was condemned by many Iranian-Canadians for appearing to suggest that the regime was "elected"and that it was supporting protesters. In fact, government forces were suppressing the protests with considerable bloodshed.

Thomas Juneau researches Middle Eastern affairs at the University of Ottawa and is a former strategic analyst at the Department of National Defence.

Last year, he conducted a research project on the debate over whether Canada should re-establish ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran, a hugely controversial topic in the Iranian-Canadian community.

Advocates of re-engagement include both regime supportersand people who merely want to make it easier to visit family in Iran or send help to family members in the country.

"[Jowhari's] name did come up on a number of occasions. He was known inside the Liberal caucus as one of the main proponents of re-engagement with Iran a view that I agree with," he said."But he was viewed as being a bit too much of a proponent of that view and a bit too much with individuals associated with the Islamic Republic."

Juneau says many of those he spoke to who supported re-engagement were still reluctant to be seen associating with Jowhari, who had a "controversial history".

But he cautions that an allegation made by an "individual associated with a dead Iranian spy" falls far short of the evidence he would need to see to conclude that Jowhari crossed a line.

"To label an individual an asset of a foreign government is a very serious accusation, and it has to be made on the basis of clear information,"he said. "And we do not have we're not even close to having enough information publicly available to make that accusation toward that MP."

Shortly before the federal election in October, an email was widely distributed in the Richmond Hill riding drafted byLiberals who said they had come "to the regrettable conclusion that we simply could not vote for" Majid Jowhari.

The email quoted four prominent Liberals: former Ontario cabinet minister Reza Moridi, who represented the provincial riding of Richmond Hill for over a decade; Bryon Wilfert, who previously held the federal riding for the Liberal Party; Sarkis Assadourian, who represented the federal riding of Brampton Centre for the Liberals; and Richard Rupp, past president of the Richmond Hill federal Liberal riding association.

In their email, they state that their decision is "based on a review of the Liberal candidate's record and of various media reports regarding some of his activities over the past four years."

They did not give details on which aspects of Jowhari's record they took issue with.

"Team Jowhari" responded on the MP's Facebook page: "This communication represents the worst type of campaign tactics a non-specific note from a group who do not have the courage of their convictions to say what party and policies they do support but are prepared to say only what they don't support."

The rest is here:
'False and unfounded': Liberal MP denies claims that he's worked with Iran - CBC.ca