Wednesday, March 8, 2006
3 - 4:30 pm
Margaret Parsons Theatre
Red Deer College

Given that the rapidly increasing exports of Canada’s oil and gas to the U.S. puts our own energy security as a nation in jeopardy; that Canada, despite being a petroleum producing country, is already forced to import nearly half of the oil its people need; that Canada has arguably a 10-year supply of conventional oil and natural gas remaining; that most of the tar sands oil is earmarked for export to the U.S., and most of the natural gas from the North is also intended for the U.S. market or to fuel extraction of the tar sands crude--the continuation of current energy policies is clearly not in the national interest.

There may be ways of developing the tar sands that could contribute to Canada’s long-term energy needs, including the inevitable transition to renewable energy sources. But, shockingly, there is no coherent national or provincial energy policy to address this need. Nor is the federal or any provincial government conducting the research or public consultation needed to formulate policies for meeting the world energy crisis or even for assuring an adequate ongoing supply of energy for Canadians.

Hugh McCullum is a journalist and will be speaking about his oil sands report entitled Fuelling Fortress America which will be released March 7, 2006.

Gordon Laxer is the Director of the Parkland Institute and will be discussing what should be considered in Canada formulating its own national strategy for energy security.


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PARKLAND INSTITUTE
11045 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton, AB. T6G 2E1
Phone: (780) 492-8558 - Fax:(780)492-8738
email: parkland@ualberta.ca
website <http://www.ualberta.ca/parkland>

Parkland Institute's Tenth Annual Conference will be held at the University of Alberta, November 17-19, 2006.