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Why is Afghanistan so important? A glance at a map and a little knowledge of the region suggest that the real reasons for Western military involvement may be largely hidden. Afghanistan is adjacent to Middle Eastern countries that are rich in oil and natural gas. And though Afghanistan may have little petroleum itself, it borders both Iran and Turkmenistan, countries with the second and third largest natural gas reserves in the world. (Russia is first.)
Halifax, N.S. - Our safety is at risk when governments fail to respond effectively to changing heat supplies and prices, according to Larry Hughes, the lead author of two new reports released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in Nova Scotia.
OTTAWA—Canada’s federal and provincial governments should end their subsidies to the biofuel industry, says a new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). The report, by Edward R. Boyle, questions whether governments can afford such expensive and wasteful subsidies in the current economic climate. “With federal finances sliding into deficit for the first time in a decade, will the Harper government cut provincial transfers for health and social programs while maintaining multi-billion-dollar biofuel subsidies?” asks Boyle.
As announced on Sunday, July 11, Nova Scotians are finally going to benefit from the good fortune of having fossil fuels not far from our shores. The offshore deal was signed in 1986, and revenues are expected to continue to be paid out for another 15 years. Over nearly 40 years - two generations - it is expected to pay out over $850 million. How should we invest that much money, for that many people, over that much time? This should be a momentous decision. Thinking too narrowly means failing Nova Scotians today and in the future.
Canada’s oil patch is booming. The Alberta tar sands have become the number one foreign oil source for the United States, replacing Saudi Arabia. Within the next 15 years, Canada will be pumping four to five times more crude than today from the tar pits of northern Alberta into the US market. The tar sands are key to the claim that Canada is the new “energy superpower”.
An Interview with Professor Jim Harding While the U.S. appears to be on the verge of attacking Iran just for having a nuclear reactor, Washington and its allies continue to be the biggest nuclear proliferators in the world. Chief among these nuclear allies is Canada, which provides up to 40% of the world’s uranium, the largest amount. Eighty percent of Canadian uranium is exported, with 76% going to the U.S.
While the rest of the world was focused on the Beijing Olympics last summer, the Quebec government was engaged in a risky political manoeuvre in the region of Bécancour (population 11,051), 125 km northeast of Montreal. On August 19, the government and Hydro-Quebec announced their decision to refurbish Quebec’s only operational nuclear reactor, Gentilly-2, at a proposed cost of $1.9 billion.