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Alberta

25 facts about the Canadian oil and gas industry in 2023: Facts 1 to 5

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From the Canadian Energy Centre

One of the things that really makes us Albertans, and Canadians is what we do and how we do it.  It’s taking humanity a while to figure it out, but we seem to be grasping just how important access to energy is to our success.  This makes it important that we all know at least a little about the industry that drives Canadians and especially Albertans as we make our way in the world.

The Canadian Energy Centre has compiled a list of 25 (very, extremely) interesting facts about the oil and gas industry in Canada. Over the 5 days we will post all 25 amazing facts, 5 at a time. Here are facts 6 to 10. 

The Canadian Energy Centre’s 2023 reference guide to the latest research on Canada’s oil and gas industry

The following summary facts and data were drawn from 30 Fact Sheets and Research Briefs and various Research Snapshots that the Canadian Energy Centre released in 2023. For sources and methodology and for additional data and information, the original reports are available at the research portal on the Canadian Energy Centre website: canadianenergycentre.ca.

Environment

1. Canada’s share of Global CO2 emissions is dropping

Since the Kyoto Summit in 1997, Canada’s share of the world’s CO2 emissions has fallen from 2.2 per cent to 1.6 per cent. Canada’s share of world CO2 emissions decreased by 25 per cent from the Kyoto climate summit to the recent Dubai climate summit.

 

Source: CEC Research, Calculation from Various Database (2023)

2. Canadian natural gas is getting cleaner

Emissions intensity is the emission rate of a given pollutant relative to the intensity of a specific activity or industrial production process. Emissions intensity is determined by dividing the number of absolute emissions by some unit of output, such as GDP, energy used, population, or barrel of oil produced. Between 2010 and 2021, the CO2 emissions intensity of Canadian natural gas production fell from 63.5 kilograms CO2e per barrel of oil equivalent to 44.5 kilograms CO2e per barrel of oil equivalent, a decline of nearly 30 per cent.

Source: Derived from Rystad Energy

3. Canadian oil sands production is getting cleaner

Between 2000 and 2021, the emissions intensity of the oil sands subsector fell from 111.8 kilograms CO2e per barrel to just under 79.3 kilograms CO2e per barrel, a decline of over 29 per cent. As GHG emissions intensity in the upstream oil sector continues to decline and because Canada’s ESG performance remains highly rated, Canadian oil has the potential to become the barrel of choice on the world stage.

Source: Derived from Rystad Energy

4. Canada’s oil and gas sector is doing its part to reduce methane emissions

Gas flaring is the burning off of the natural gas that is generated in the process of oil extraction and production. It is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). In 2022, 138,549 million cubic meters (m3) (or 139 billion cubic meters (bcm)) of flared gases were emitted worldwide, creating 350 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. At 945 million m3 in 2022, Canada was the eighth lowest flarer among the world’s top 30 oil and gas producers (23rd spot). Canada decreased its flaring emissions by 320 million m3 from its 2012 level of 1,264 million m3, a 25 per cent drop. In 2022, Canada contributed just 0.7 per cent of the global amount of gas flaring despite being the world’s fourth largest oil producer.

Source: World Bank (undated)

5. Environmental spending by Canada’s oil and gas sector remains high

Canadian businesses spent $28.6 billion on environmental protection between 2018 and 2020. When capital and operating expenses on environmental protection are combined, out of that $28.6 billion the oil and gas sector spent $9.4 billion, or nearly 33 per cent. In 2020 alone, when capital and operating expenses on environmental protection are combined, the oil and gas sector spent $2.7 billion, or 27 per cent of all Canadian business spending on the environment that year.

Source: Derived from Statistics Canada, Table 38-10-0130-01

CEC Research Briefs

Canadian Energy Centre (CEC) Research Briefs are contextual explanations of data as they relate to Canadian energy. They are statistical analyses released periodically to provide context on energy issues for investors, policymakers, and the public. The source of profiled data depends on the specific issue. This research brief is a compilation of previous Fact Sheets and Research Briefs released by the centre in 2023. Sources can be accessed in the previously released reports. All percentages in this report are calculated from the original data, which can run to multiple decimal points. They are not calculated using the rounded figures that may appear in charts and in the text, which are more reader friendly. Thus, calculations made from the rounded figures (and not the more precise source data) will differ from the more statistically precise percentages we arrive at using the original data sources.

About the author

This CEC Research Brief was compiled by Ven Venkatachalam, Director of Research at the Canadian Energy Centre.

Acknowledgements

The author and the Canadian Energy Centre would like to thank and acknowledge the assistance of an anonymous reviewer for the review of this paper.

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Alberta

Leading proponent of Alberta Independence predicts provincial referendum in 2025

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 Jeffrey Rath

Over one third of Albertans already support Independence from Ottawa

You know that Alberta is making progress towards an independence referendum in 2025 when both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Alberta Communist Leader Naheed Nenshi are discussing, considering, or teasing an Alberta Independence Referendum to be held in 2025.

This level of agreement between the two party leaders on the need for an independence referendum is demonstrative of the degree to which Alberta conversations on independence from Canada have taken hold around family dinner tables and in the pubs and community halls of the Commonwealth of Alberta.

Independent Journalist Rachel Parker has recently commissioned a poll that has support for Alberta Independence at 37%. It is noteworthy that there is presently 37% popular support for independence WITHOUT Albertans being educated on the benefits of Independence from Canada. Some of these benefits include:

  1. 60,000,000,000.00 (60 BILLION) dollars a year would remain in Alberta as opposed to being sent to Ottawa for “redistribution” to the mismanaged provinces of Canada.
  2. NO FEDERAL INCOME TAX
  3. NO CARBON TAX
  4. NO CAPITAL GAINS TAX
  5. NO GST
  6. NO EXCISE TAX
  7. NO MORE FEDERAL GUN GRABS
  8. NO MORE FEDERAL OVER REGULATION OF SPEECH, INTERNET COMMUNICATION, AGRICULTURE, TRAVEL, HEALTH, RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, OR OTHER MATTERS OF CONCERN TO ALBERTANS.
  9. NO MORE MISGOVERNANCE BY FEDERAL POLITICIANS ELECTED BY MONTREAL AND TORONTO TO RULE ALBERTA.

The day Alberta declares independence Alberta’s GDP per capita would place Alberta as the the NUMBER ONE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD on the measure of GDP per capita. The end of all federal taxation and regulation will prompt an economic boom and overnight will increase the disposable income of every Albertan by at LEAST 35%.

This column is a call to action. Every Albertan fed up with having our rulers chosen by Toronto and Montreal need to forward this column to Danielle Smith and request that she pass the ALBERTA INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM ACT.

THE ALBERTA INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM ACT

Whereas successive Canadian Federal Governments have exceeded their constitutional jurisdiction through property seizures, excessive taxation and natural resource regulation aimed at the destruction of Alberta’s autonomy and sovereignty; and

Whereas the Government of Alberta has been mandated by referendum to bring an end to the payment of “equalization” dollars to provinces of Canada who continually mismanage their public finances;

The Alberta Legislature hereby enacts The Alberta Independence Referendum Act.

1. Within 6 months of every Canadian Federal Election the Government of Alberta shall call a provincial referendum on the Independence of Alberta from Canada.

2. The referendum question shall take the following form:

“Further to the over taxation and unconstitutional overreach of successive Governments of Canada aimed at harming the sovereign citizens of Alberta for the political benefit of successive governments of Canada, The Citizens of Alberta vote to remove Alberta from the Canadian Federation and form an Independent Commonwealth of Alberta.”

3. In furtherance of this legislation all Federal and Provincial taxes in Alberta shall be collected by the Government of Alberta.

4. Only such proportion of such taxes deemed by the government of Alberta to be for the common benefit of the Citizens of Alberta shall be remitted to the Government of Canada.

BY requiring a referendum following every Canadian Federal Election politicians pandering for votes from the idiots that think taxes can change the weather would have to consider the consequences of running on platforms that are based on the continued maldistribution of Alberta’s wealth.

Albertans need to understand that they would prosper by voting to confirm Alberta Independence from greedy politicians in Quebec and Ontario who claim to represent the failed colonial state of “Canada”.

An Alberta Dollar backed by the 3rd largest energy reserves in the world and the wealth of the Alberta Economy would be a stable currency with far greater value than the debt mired Canadian fiat currency.

Alberta Pensioners would see increased pension rates as Alberta could self fund Alberta Pensions out of the 60 BILLION no longer being siphoned out of Alberta by Quebec and Ontario until the 300 BILLION plus share of the Canada Pension plan was repatriated to Alberta.

Albertans need to write to Premier Smith and require her to pass the ALBERTA INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM ACT prior to the expiry of the writ period for the next Federal Election. Regardless of whether a Conman Carney Liberal Government is elected or a Poilievre Conservative Government is elected, Federal Politicians need to be put on notice that they will continue to ignore or misgovern Alberta at their peril. By requiring an independence referendum following every Federal Election Alberta Voters will have the option of opting out of being governed by who ever Montreal and Toronto voters choose to misgovern Alberta against the will of the Citizens of Alberta.

There is no good reason or excuse for not creating a mechanism that will allow Albertans to put both the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta on notice of their continued desire to remain in Canada following every Federal Election.

Legislation requiring a vote on independence following every federal election would give Danielle Smith and future leaders the leverage that they need to protect Alberta from globalists like Carney. Albertans should also beware that Pierre Poilievre has made it clear that a Conservative government will not stop Alberta wealth transfers to Quebec or stop ripping off Albertans for the benefit of the Laurentian Elite.

Remember, it’s all fun and games until someone loses a province.

Jeffrey R.W. Rath

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Alberta

Prime Minister Carney needs to clearly state his position on the federal emissions cap: Premier Smith

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Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement in response to Canada’s new Environment Minister Terry Duguid’s plans to keep the emissions cap in place:

“Yesterday, in my discussions with Prime Minister Mark Carney, I made it clear Alberta will no longer tolerate an emissions cap on oil and gas – which absolutely works like a production cap that scares away billions in investment and thousands of jobs, makes us more dependent on the United States, and has been found by Ottawa’s own Parliamentary Budget Office to be greatly destructive to the Canadian economy.

“The Prime Minister told me in yesterday’s meeting – and then later in his press conference with the media that same day – that he was not in favour of hard caps like that. He said he was interested in results – in getting projects like pipelines in the ground. That was good to hear because we all know you can’t fill new pipelines and cap oil production at the same time.

“The Prime Minister’s words sounded kind of nice yesterday – until I found out that his new environment minister had just told media on the other side of the country that the federal Liberals would be keeping the emissions cap in place.

“This has been the same story for the last 10 years. Liberals come to Alberta – smile for the cameras – tell everyone how much they are going to work with Alberta and support the energy sector. Then they leave, go home, and proceed to do everything in their power to roadblock and scare away investment from the energy sector.

“Now they are doing it when Canadians are literally demanding that we build new pipelines and production to become more independent from the United States. So, it’s time for the Prime Minister to be clear with Canadians – is he prepared to lift this job killing, destructive and unconstitutional production cap law that his predecessor attacked us with – or not?

“Albertans and Canadians want the answer before they go to the polls – not after. In fact, we want the answer today. Who wasn’t telling the truth yesterday – the Prime Minister or his environment minister? We all deserve to know.”

Alberta Update brings you the latest news on what’s happening in your province. We will hear from Premier Danielle Smith, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, Rebecca Schulz, as well as the Minister of Justice Mickey Amery on this week’s top news: Alberta energy, Critical Infrastructure Defence Amendment Act, oil/gas cap, carbon tax and more. (Including Premier Smith’s thoughts on the emissions cap)

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