The Political and Policy Context Shaping Canadian Energy
Energy and environmental policy issues have gained visibility and importance in Ottawa in recent years. Heightened awareness of climate change, increased linkages to clean air and health, strong growth of oil sands development, and frequent front-page media attention have served to move these issues to the top of the public mind. A minority government situation has politicized these issues more than would otherwise be the case - each political party is aiming to be seen as the greenest. Regional divides are also evident - between Alberta and Quebec for example on how best to address the challenge of Canadian greenhouse gas emissions. For its part, the Canadian mining industry is a large user of energy and emitter of air pollutants and greenhouse gases - indeed the base metal smelters, iron ore pellet plants, and oil sands operations are each viewed as being "large emitters" by the federal government. Paul Stothart will discuss this broad theme and the impact of these issues upon the Canadian mining industry.
Keywords:
Policy, Global, POLITICAL, Carbon, Energy, Environment, Climate change, Efficiency, China, Management
