How the OIL SANDS benefits all of Canada

[Corneliousrooster]

The people who are opposed to oil sands should be more interested in the cutting of forests as that not only destroys the landscape but affects animals, natural beauty and the long term health of the planet just as much as the oil sands.

Being this thread is with regards to the Oil sands it makes more sense to discuss the oilsands than the issues you are bringing up (which is also a god issue that deserves discussion - just should have its own thread)

It is all tied together - it seems the Canadian way is to extract/plunder our resources as quickly and as much of as possible - then ship it out raw for the least amount of economic benefit possible. The whole paradigm needs to change.

[Ka-El]

- it seems the Canadian way is to extract/plunder our resources as quickly and as much of as possible - then ship it out raw for the least amount of economic benefit possible. The whole paradigm needs to change.

Nation-building. We need leaders with vision who can bring this country together for all our common good. Alberta’s oil industry has provided this country with so much already, and while most of us agree we will ultimately need to wean ourselves from fossil fuel dependence, but given all the things our world currently depends on from that industry to even function, we are looking at generations before we can completely function without oil and all its by-products.

Nation-building. Yes, it seems the Canadian way is to extract/plunder our resources as quickly and as much of as possible - then ship it out raw, and while there is great economic benefit from this, you are most certainly correct (IMO) in suggesting we could do much better. Successive governments have continued to cave to corporate (some even foreign) interests, when governments more interested in nation-building might have been more motivated to build industries around the adding of value to our raw products and exporting refined product instead. So many missed opportunities.

Nation-building. We have so much potential as a country, and the world is going to be dependent on oil and it’s by-products for another 50 years at least. The use of these products will be critical in advancing beyond our need of these products. Understanding that we realize that we need to keep extracting the product, but we need some leaders with vision who will ask why we are not refining that product here, when we could refine it ourselves (reducing the impact and risk of transporting raw product). This can be done safely. All we need is a government working for all Canadians .

Nation-building. These protests against pipeline transport of oil are asinine, and putting the environment and people’s lives at risk from another rail disaster. Instead of protesting these pipelines (under the very naïve assumption that we will stop transporting oil), these folk should be more interested in making sure the job gets done right, and that government and corporations are held accountable. People need jobs. The world needs oil. We should work on ways to make sure we extract and refine the product safely – here in Canada before export. Yes, a paradigm shift.