Thursday, October 25, 2007

Blink!

No surprise. Special Ed remembered he's here for the energy companies not the people of Alberta and watered down the already timid recommendations of the Hunter report to little more than a bad joke.

The Report called for an immediate increase in the royalties take by $2B. Stelmach will wait through two more years of a royalty regime his own government's Auditor General has basically called a giveaway before taking only $1.4b more. Two of the largest oil sand companies Suncor and Syncrude have side deals they get to keep, against the panel's recommendations to avoid grandfathering, and back room negotiations out of the public eye to discuss their futures.

One of the members of the Hunter panel has flatly described the Stelmach government's response to the report as a 'snow job'.

Sure the energy execs will bawl like branded calves, maybe even engage in some completely political layoffs, spitefully playing with people's lives for PR purposes.

But where are they going to go? Venezuela? Nigeria? Our resources are worth more because we have a safe, stable political and social environment with a developed infrastructure to move them with. The energy companies know this, and so do the people of Alberta.

The word is that Stelmach plans to call an election for early December if it seems his dog and pony show has gone over well with the people of Alberta. We can only hope they haven't fallen for this shameful sellout.

UPDATE: 'Blatant deceit.'

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