When I was a little kid, October was a turning point in the year because of two things - Hallowe'en and the Sears Christmas Wishbook.
For those who don't remember or are too young to know about such things, the Sears Christmas Wishbook was a glossy catalogue filled with toys ranging from Barbie to G.I.Joe to Hot Wheels to Easy-Bake Ovens.
We used to spend hours pouring over every page, marking our favorite Christmas presents and changing our minds on an almost daily basis. We would then find mom or dad and explain exactly what Santa Claus had to bring us that year.
My mother started to hide the catalogue until the beginning of December.
As to Hallowe'en, we would spend the month of October trying to choose between many possible costumes and characters. We had some very strange costumes over the years.
As I grew older, I gave up trick-or-treating and the Wishbook lost its magic. I left these flights of fancy behind.
However, it would appear that not everyone did.
It would certainly seem that the BC Liberals have gone to their wishbook and are hoping liquefied natural gas will be found under the tree this Christmas.
The Speech from the Throne this past week was short - both in length and in content. After a strange allusion to the First World War, Lieutenant-Guichon Judith Guichon got to the point: "In the last session, this government took the first step, introducing the tax framework for B.C.'s growing LNG industry."
"This fall session will be devoted to taking the next logical step. We will move forward with a comprehensive legislative framework. This framework will be fair for the owners of this resource - the people of British Columbia. This framework will create certainty for business and investment. This framework will define how we will develop this resource responsibly, in a way that protects our environment, and continues to lead the global fight against climate change."
I am not sure that LNG can pull all of this off. It is a long wish list.
Just consider the final phrase: "lead the global fight against climate change." How can a fossil fuel lead the fight against climate change?
The argument is that a natural gas powered electrical plant is better than a coal powered plant. It generates fewer carbon dioxide emissions for the same amount of electricity or more electricity for the same amount of carbon dioxide.
True but either way you phrase it, it is still generating carbon dioxide. And that carbon dioxide will be in the atmosphere for hundreds of years.
The idea that we should keep building more power plants at the same pace but use natural gas because it is a cleaner fossil fuel is wishful thinking at its best. It won't really slow the pace of climate change.
If the government really wanted to show leadership on this portfolio - and much of the Speech from the Throne is dedicated to "leadership"- then they would have announced that British Columbia is going to invest heavily in developing local industries that provide the tools for generating clean energy, such as windmills and tidal power plants.
We could be a world leader if we choose. No, we are investing in liquefying fossil fuels. Instead of engaging our intellectual capital, the BC Liberals wish to keep exploiting our natural resources
Consider another element of the speech: "introducing the tax framework for B.C.'s growing LNG industry." What exactly does that mean?
The premier, in the days before the last election, wishfully spoke of taxing LNG production at a rate that would pay off the debt and leave our grandchildren a rich legacy or heritage fund. Her Finance Minister added to this wish list predicting $100 billion in tax revenue over the next 30 years.
Strange how far the BC Liberals have traveled while in government. Were they not the government that declared taxes kill business? Were they not the government that tore up red tape and bureaucracy?
Their plans have met with a harsh dose of reality since. As Halloween comes before Christmas, the bogeyman - in the form of Petronas and I suspect other corporate players - has come knocking before the first dollar has even been spent. They seem to be saying that you can wish all you like but we are the ones with the rights to that gas and we are not going to extract it until the tax regime is right. They seem to be willing to wait a long time - well past Christmas.
So much for wishful thinking.
Perhaps there is good reason that we still celebrate Hallowe'en. It is there to remind us that not all of our wishes will come true. In the case of LNG, it might also serve as a reminder that we should be careful what we wish for.
