Canada is having an awkward moment.
The 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea stir feelings of national pride and unity. When watching the Olympic events, I’m not researching which province the Canadian athlete comes from to decide whether I should cheer for them or not. They are Canadian and I find myself cheering for their success regardless of the province they call home.
Those feelings of national pride and unity are in sharp contrast to the division and resentment that are being fuelled by the economic and environmental disputes over energy pipelines.
Most Albertans haven’t forgotten the local politicking in Quebec that helped to scuttle the Energy East pipeline. The current political battle between the Alberta provincial government and the British Columbia provincial government over the Kinder Morgan pipeline is causing hard feelings amongst us once again.
The current battle between Alberta and B.C. is taking our differences to new heights and its hurting all of us. Blocking new energy pipeline improvements to tidewater from Alberta restricts our national energy exports, and greatly diminishes the Canadian economy, the Alberta economy and everyone who earns a living in the energy sector.
Alberta retaliating with a ban on wine from B.C., and a promise of more points of retaliation to come, hurts the Canadian economy to a lesser extent, the B.C. economy and everyone earning a living in those industries.
Go Canada Go?
