Everything is Political broadcast on Sirius XM radio January 28 2016 6-7 pm.
Businessman and potential Tory leadership candidate Kevin O’Leary says he wants a referendum on Energy East. When asked by Tasha on SiriusXM’s Everything is Political what he thinks about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s position on Energy East, O’Leary responded that,
“What we seem to be having is a dialogue between provincial, municipal and federal leaders that squabble like chickens about it year after year. Meanwhile the country, I as a Canadian taxpayer and you too, are losing billions and billions of dollars on the 20 to 30 per cent discount we get paid for oil because it’s landlocked, we have to pay to transport it.
What I suggest we do to solve this problem is a very simple metric. We have a referendum for every Canadian to vote simple yes or no. Do you want a pipeline to the west coast? Do you want a pipeline to the east coast? Yes or no? Every single Canadian citizen can vote, including the ones that live abroad. And after that decision is made, yes or no, both sides can argue and debate it before. But then every Canadian votes. If they vote 51% approval for it you have the moral mandate to drive the process through regardless of what the Mayor of Montreal thinks or whoever else doesn’t like it, it’s over.”
When asked whether there would be no environmental or safety review, O’Leary said,
“We’ve already had every review we need. What we have now are chicken politicians squabbling, running around the pen, just making noise and not getting anything done. Aren’t Canadians sick of it? I am. Get to work and get something done.”
You can listen to the interview here:
Later in the program, Former Immigration Minister Chris Alexander talks about foreign policy in the Middle East. Alexander defends Canada’s decision to sell light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia but expresses reservations about increased relations with Iran.
You can listen to that interview here:
Why is this jerk getting any publicity at all? Because he was on a TV show? Ridiculous.
“20 to 30 per cent discount we get paid for oil because it’s landlocked”, horse puckey.
Bitumen has the highest number of carbon atoms (35 or above) and boiling point above 500C of the hydrocarbon fractions of oil.
The lower the number of carbon molecules the lower is the boiling point and the higher is the value.
The petrol you put in your car has 7 to 9 carbon atoms so to convert bitumen to something you put in your car rather than build your driveway with you have to split bitumen at four or five different points and add hydrogen atoms at these split points. This is an expensive proposition and why bitumen sells at a 20 to 30 percent discount.
Thank you for your information. I learned so much from your post.
I’m all for a referendum.
Does he want this project to work out or is he actually trying to kill the pipeline? Conservatives brought out the referendum idea because they want to kill electoral reform but they trot out this? Do you really want people in PEI or the NWT to have a say in a pipeline project that they know little to nothing about and does not benefit them but would probably make them think to themselves “all that talk about oil spills is scary and those Alberta conservatives come across as crazy so I think I will go with no”.
The smart play is to let it run through the process and if it passes muster then it should be built. Trying to force a non-binding referendum on Quebec to do what the Alberta oil industry wants is a recipe for disaster.
You’re a better writer than this Tasha.
Why would you ask an individual who would sell his son and wife for a dollar? There are more important things in this world than money…important as it is. O’Leary has no credibility and is so full of himself. He worships the almighty dollar to the detriment of everything else.
.. the comments are bang on.. for those unable to keep up, I use a simplistic analogy re the whining & wailing about Alberta’s unfairly ‘discounted oil’. The myth preachers a la Joe Oliver, O’Leary et al take Canadians for fools.. by essentially shouting ‘discounted Alberta chuckroast is Texas striploin .. if only we had more railway cars to tidewater and Chinese super cattle tankers..!’
Simplistic? Of course.. !
But the fairy tale that 15$ per barrel dilbit – condensate diluted bitumen or Western Canadian Select blended bitumen heated to flow in a pipeline can miraculously pop out the other end as Brent Benchmark or West Texas Intermediate light sweet oil.. or on arrival in China to fuel their economy.. be worth twice as much, is just that.. fairy tales from fantasyland.. Alberta bitumen is worth what its worth after subtracting costs of imported diluent – condensate being pipelined to Alberta or other lighter oils to dilute it and all pipeline costs. Its typically upgraded and becomes asphalt or gasoline
Kevin’s ignorance of good government practices in a democracy is a common problem with his opinion. His approach to governance creates extractive governments with vicious circles. In Canada, I am pleased to say there is now a process in place that will collect pertinent information on the pipeline projects. At the end of the day a decision will be made by the appropriate authority, the federal government. Ultimately, Trudeau and company will have to decide if a project is in the national interest.