The Ontaryan: Kyoto-Linked Recession

The London Free Press, a newspaper publication in London, Ontario, just released an interesting article regarding Canada's Kyoto commitment. It states that there would be hundreds of thousands of job losses, a major increase in gas prices. Gas prices I could care less about. People use too much gas, and that is a fact. What really bothers me is that its estimated over 200, 000 people will loose their jobs. If that were to happen, it is possible that it would directly effect MILLIONS of Canadians, driving us into another depression.

The downside of environmental protection is that people lose jobs and their families suffer. That is why we must be realistic about the issue of environmentalism and not rush to extremes just because crackpot Demoncrats like Al Gore said too.

Fri, April 20, 2007
Experts back the government report, but the opposition says its assumptions are 'rigged.'

By ALAN FINDLAY, NATIONAL BUREAU

OTTAWA -- Abiding by Canada's Kyoto commitment to cut its greenhouse gas emissions beginning next year would drive the country into deep recession, warns a government report with the backing of several outside experts.

Unemployment would rise 1.5 percentage points or 275,000 lost jobs, gas prices would spike to $1.60 a litre, natural gas would more than double and real disposable income would fall by $1,000 per person, says the analysis.

Environment Minister John Baird released the report yesterday and railed against a Liberal private member's bill that would make it Canadian law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below levels measured in 1990.

"There is only one way to make this happen," Baird told a Senate committee yesterday. "The government would need to manufacture a recession."