The NDP-Liberal Government Refuses to Budge on Ideological Environmental Policies

Cutting Fertilizer and limiting LNG production will have long lasting economic and social effects in this country.

Here we go again… the NDP-Liberal Government’s latest attempt at stifling our agriculture industry comes in the form of a proposed reduction in fertilizer use in an effort to get emissions down by 30%.

This goal, first put forward in 2020 as part of the Liberal Government’s emissions reduction plan, targets fertilizer used by farmers and ag producers as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The issue here is that Canada’s farmers are already at the cutting edge of efficiency and environmental standards. The agriculture producers that I’ve spoken to are tired of government getting in the way of their work. By recommending the reduction in fertilizer use to achieve an arbitrary goal of 30% reduction in emissions, it will cause a drastic domino effect in every sector of the economy.

Lower fertilizer use will lead to lower crop yields, more fuel and land needing to be used, leading to higher prices, and so on. You get the picture. The ultimate result will mean higher prices for consumers.

According to a study by MNP, the 30 per cent reduction in fertilizer target will cost our economy about $48 billion by 2030.

Rather than resetting, consulting, and implementing common sense policy, this government continues to forge ahead with an unsound, ideologically driven environmental goal, while ignoring the reality our country and the world faces today. Two years of out of control government spending coupled with war in Ukraine has shaken the global economic outlook. Inflation is at record highs, prices are through the roof, energy supply is in the balance, and food shortages are looming. But this NDP-Liberal Government refuses to budge.

Let’s look at Germany; a country on the precipice of turmoil thanks to years of caving to environmental politicians and lobbies while having been reliant almost entirely on Russian energy. The German Chancellor’s travel to Canada last week had a sole goal: to encourage more Canadian LNG production – and practically beg for it – but was shot down by Prime Minister Trudeau as needing a ‘business case’ to do so.

And so, with Germany’s nuclear plants shut down, their LNG sources being cut off by Putin’s Russia, they have a choice: freeze in the cold, dark, winter, or face reality and generate energy. They are choosing the latter, by firing up coal plants that were intended to be phased out to reach climate goals. The coal we’re talking about here is some of the lowest grade, highest polluting coal available – something Alberta would never even consider. That’s how desperate Germany is now.

Canada can and should be a world superpower in agriculture and energy. We have the means; we have the brilliant innovation and capability. Unfortunately, we also have an NDP-Liberal Federal Government standing in the way.

Martin Shields,

MP Bow River