EDMONTON—Canada’s inability to play a leadership role at international climate change is just one of many negative consequences of an energy sector that is dominated by large for-profit corporations, and we need to begin exploring alternate business models for the industry. This is a key message of a new discussion paper released today by Alberta’s Parkland Institute in conjunction with the...
December 4, 2009
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2806 KB PDF | 36 pages
2806 KB PDF | 36 pages
About this Publication
Canada’s oil and gas industry creates significant environmental, social, and political problems for Canadians. This is partly due to the nature of the for-profit, private-interest business corporation, which dominates that industry. The business corporation has a mandate to maximize share value and profits, and this translates into boosting consumption and externalizing costs.
Some of the problems can be resolved by purchasing the industry and converting it to an industry aimed at serving a broader public-interest mandate. Legally and financially, the transformation would be relatively straight-forward, and there are precedents. An interesting set of design questions warrants further discussion: the type of ownership (whether public or private, or a mix), rent entitlements and federalism, stakeholder involvement, specific mandate elements, and preparations for the transformation.
The CCPA’s bold vision and creative solutions help us imagine better futures for all. Its efforts to build bridges between labour, industry, and civil society and mentor young activists lay the foundation for realizing those provocative futures. I consider my support for the CCPA an investment in a better future for British Columbia.