"...Dave Cournoyer isn't some obscure fat frat boy with a sticky-up haircut." - Neil Waugh (Edmonton Sun)
Earlier this week, Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft delivered a
major policy announcement while speaking to the Calgary Rotary Club. As Premier, Taft said he would call for a meeting of western provinces, with an agenda of turning western Canada into an energy superpower.
You can now watch the speech on YouTube:
Western Tiger Speech Part 1
Western Tiger Speech Part 2
Western Tiger Speech Part 3
I can be reached by email at: daveberta.ca@gmail.com.
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11 comments:
Well... it's good to see Taft finally figuring out what everyone else from Manitoba to BC has already figured out.
... and thats why Alberta will never elect an ex-football player again. Even us Tories learned a lesson from the Getty years.
That was John Manley's line! "northern tiger"
This speech was the front page story on the Edmonton Journal this week - which is amazing. When was the last time a political speech made any sort of news in Alberta.
The media is taking notice and Taft is setting a positive tone as the Alberta Liberals become more of a government in waiting than a noisy annoying opposition party.
I would suggest that everyone read Lorne Gunter's column in the Edmonton Journal. Let me quote: "Plans have details and implementation strategies and cost analyses." The Liberals "Western Tiger" has none of that. It's similar to the views of the Liberals on royalties in which they say that the annnual net revenue from the oil and gas industry should be increased from 19% to 25%. What they don't seem to understand is that royalty rates in Alberta automatically adjust for changes in price and productivity and that most oil and gas wells in the WCSB are low productivity, with high F&D costs.
Lorne Gunter is like the Paul Jackson of the Edmonton Journal. He's anti-anything Liberal to the core and would say the same thing about anything the Liberals would propose.
Not relevant, anonymous.
Didn't address the issue, Christine. Where's the beef? Plans have details, implementation strategies, and analyses. It is nice to talk about upgrading bitumen in Alberta. How do you do it? A sit down discussion between BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba doesn't tell me anything. On royalty review, Liberal are suggesting that the province collect 25% of annual net revenues,. Do how do they propose getting there. Boost oil sands royalies? Pre-payout or post-payout? Impact on project IRR, NPV and NAV? Impact on oil sands royalties. Anyone who thinks that a 1% increase in royalty rates results automatically in increased government revenues sure doesn't understand the oil and gas business.
It's not so much a plan as a vision for making Alberta and western Canada a stronger region in Canada. And it's a thousand times more innovative and forward looking than anything Ed Stelmach is offering.
Albertans are looking for leadership and positive ideas. Kevin Taft is providing that.
Mark Lisac's view on Taft's speech:
Liberal Leader Kevin Taft’s speech in Calgary this week on bitumen upgrading scored more success than
most opposition party efforts in the last decade.
The coming election campaign in effect started with the bitumen speech and with the New Democrats’
announcement of a “green energy plan” a day earlier.
Taft’s speech went further, however. It did things that
Alberta voters aren’t used to seeing.
First, it was noticed by the media. The Edmonton Journal gave it the biggest play — a front-page headline, an editorial and a reprint of the speech itself.
Getting public attention marks a huge turnaround.
Opposition parties have been relegated for years to the
closing paragraphs of stories about the government.
Second, the attention to symbolism rather than to nuts-
and-bolts policy indicates a shift toward more strategic
political thinking.
The Liberal proposal is more attitude than plan. Taft
suggested meeting other western premiers to find a way to
build more upgraders in their provinces rather than seeing
investment and jobs migrate to the United States.
Opposition leaders have frequently suffered from a perception that they’re better at criticizing than at offering ideas. Taft’s speech signalled the Liberals will probably campaign on a positive platform, and let voters decide for
themselves how the Conservatives compare.
But it was couched in familiar psychological terms. Taft
pictured a regional upgrader plan as a way to strengthen Alberta’s role in Canada by creating a strong western partnership with Alberta in the lead. He said the government
is stuck telling Ottawa and other provinces, “Don’t mess with Alberta.” Yet he found a way of delivering the same strong-province message as the premier. Having your cake and eating it is a political dream.
The Conservatives’ obvious response to this strategy: ignore Taft unless his message catches on; point out flaws if it does catch on; develop their own eye-catching and forward-looking ideas.
Still didn't address the issue. I am interested in substance.
Dave. Ignore anonymous probably Tory posters.
Lisac touched on the subject correctly, there is no concrete plan, but there is a positive vision. A plan will be created after meeting with the Premier's of the other provinces. I don't know how a concrete plan for Western Canada could be created without consulting and working hand-in-hand with the other Premiers. Taft's idea for a western canadian power makes me very excited about the next election and the Liberals prospects. It's clear that it is time for a change in Alberta and Kevin Taft is effectively offering that change.
Dave:
Ignore people who don't know whst tney are talking abour like Red Deer Clark. There are four upgraderr expansion projects and 9 new upgraders, worth $50 billion in capital spending, planned for Albert, that are proposed to take synethetic crude to more than 3 billion barrels per day or 85% of all bitumen production by 2015. Of course, Taft didn't mention that in hiss speech. In fact, the Liberals wants to jack up oil sands royalty rates and given that upgraders have rather low internal rates of return, the $50 billion in new investment would disappear under the Liberals. Of course Red Deer Clark has not answer for that because he doesn't know anything about the energy industry. Maybe we will have to send him back to school to study up a little.
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