The sweeping election of Donald Trump south of the border promises to be a boon for its domestic energy production, while Canada continues to stymie its own, alienating our allies and dragging our economy further into the abyss.

In early November, the feds issued draft regulations that would cap greenhouse gas emissions from Canada’s oil and gas sector to 35% below 2019 levels. The rules will do nothing to curtail the consumption of natural gas globally, but instead will force our allies to source gas from other producers – some of which are far from friendly.

The U.S., by contrast, is already producing record volumes of oil and natural gas. This, even before Trump’s campaign promise to “Drill, baby, drill!”

Valerie Thomas, professor of industrial engineering with the Georgia Institute of Technology, recently wrote “The U.S. is producing more oil and natural gas today than ever before, and far more than any other country…Under each of the three most recent presidencies, Republican and Democratic alike, U.S. oil and gas production was higher at the end of the administration’s term than at the beginning.”

Why? Because the U.S. values economic growth and energy security, noble concepts the Liberals seem to have such disdain for, instead preferring to kill industry while artificially propping up GDP through mass immigration.

Don’t be fooled by headline GDP numbers when our GDP per capita has detached from that of the U.S. and is on the decline, leaving Canadians feeling poorer.

If the Liberals’ cap on oil and gas production emissions is allowed to advance, the economic repercussions will be disastrous. The Conference Board of Canada estimates the policy will wipe out up to $1 trillion in GDP between 2030 and 2040, while killing more than 150,000 jobs.

Job losses

A study by Deloitte indicated Ontario would also lose 15,000 jobs and $2.3 billion from its economy by 2040, should the cap proceed. It contends the Canadian economy would suffer an economic loss equal to 1% of total GDP.

And for what? So we can pat ourselves on the back for being good global citizens while the U.S. prospers with its “Drill, baby, drill!” approach and our allies elsewhere in the world increasingly turn to our enemies to satisfy their need for oil and gas?

Kenneth Green, senior fellow with the Fraser Institute, issued a report that found even if Canada meets its targets in 2030 due to the federal cap, the emissions reduction would amount to 0.004% of global emissions, “a reduction unlikely to have any impact on the trajectory of the climate in any detectable manner, or produce any related environmental, health or safety benefits.”

“Clearly, the Trudeau government’s new proposed emissions cap on the oil and gas sector will impose significant harms on Canada’s economy, Canadian workers and our quality of life — and hit Alberta with a wallop,” Green wrote. “And yet, as a measure intended to avert harmful climate change, it’s purely performative (like many of the government’s other GHG regulations) and will generate too little emission reductions to have any meaningful impact on the climate.”

Canada’s transportation sector accounts for a quarter of its total greenhouse gas emissions. Ironically, one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to slash the emissions of the trucking segment would be to encourage the transition from diesel to natural gas.

Negative carbon output

The Transport Project, which advocates for the use of natural gas in the transport sector, reports that natural gas slashes CO2 and GHG emissions by 17% compared to diesel, or 582% when it’s produced from renewable sources. Yes, renewable natural gas can provide a negative carbon output, when produced from methane that’s emitted from dairy farms or landfill sites.

Natural gas isn’t the enemy our government will tell you it is. Capping emissions from the segment as proposed will curtail production, damage our economy, and make us poorer. It will stall the transition from diesel to cleaner burning natural gas, while forcing technologies on industry – such as electric vehicles — that aren’t yet ready.  

Say what you want about Trump. But his promise to “Drill, baby, drill!” will bring further prosperity and energy security to the U.S. while Canada’s misguided energy policy will leave us choking on its dust.