What Matters to You – If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It!

This old saying has been passed down for generations with hopes of imparting some commonsense wisdom. It was true in the day of my Grandparents and will hold true in the days of my Great Grandkids. The nuance, however, is when to apply it and realize that the state of “Conventional Wisdom” may not always be wise. If you don’t explore options and ask yourself and others, “Why” and “How do you know?” you may be in for a world of hurt or risk being irrelevant. Doing it the same way out of convention may not be the best course of action when the mother of all invention requires a change -the necessity for resilience and the need to adapt for survival

The roosters always have a solution: their solution!

We can all be sure there is an energy transition on the horizon. I’m not convinced that those crowing from the top of the proverbial barn yard pile and knowing the cause of the forgone solution in their minds are any wiser than a barnyard rooster we had when I was a kid. That old rooster was very sure of himself, the toughest one around, and took a run at my mother and me on several occasions when we went to collect eggs. When that rooster tried, all tough and sure of his supremacy in the barnyard, the reality set in a hurry when the rooster was missing his head. We were having chicken for supper, and my father had a wing for cleaning off the chaff that was collected on the radiator of the old combine. That tough as nails, crowing from the barnyard pile, full of himself rooster, was dead wrong in his assumptions and assertions.

I’ve heard my share of roosters lately saying that we need to “Dismantle” the energy sectors here in Alberta, because hydrocarbons are the cause of “The Climate Crisis”. They are so certain that regardless of carbon capture or utilization, shutting it down is “The” only solution. Don’t even bother asking if Carbon is the issue, and if you eliminate the carbon, then how is there still a problem? How dare you question their “known solution”?!
I have also heard from similar roosters crowing away that the agriculture sector, anything that produces meat from the land rather than a laboratory environment, is a significant contributor to “The Climate Crisis”. I have also heard some of these same roosters crowing that we must rely on wind and solar to produce electricity to make hydrogen. Now, one of the clean solutions that they had, and were crowing about, was to make “Green Jet Fuel” by taking “Green Hydrogen”, and then, they can combine it with carbon to produce “Green Jet Fuel”.

So, by their definition, you need clean, fresh water to make green hydrogen so we can make a hydrocarbon, instead of taking hydrocarbon from the ground, not wasting fresh water to make jet fuel so we can save the water for drinking and growing crops to feed people.

The Roosters really have little consideration for how we obtain the basic elements and the exorbitant amount of energy needed to get to their bright future. They are good at crowing, though!

You see, setting up parameters and policies to allow for the technical solutions to the problem is not relevant to these roosters. They have already settled on the solution. Too bad those dammed engineers keep stalling and wanting to solve the problem themselves rather than taking the roosters solution at face value. Who needs relevant research, calculations, proof of concept, or considering economics? Who needs to consider the fallout by rushing headlong, and who cares what the cost will be to regular Albertans?

Let’s envision what Alberta can really be!

We have a chance to participate in the energy transition, help others, and literary be world leaders. We have enviable options that other jurisdictions simply don’t have: a plethora of conventional energy, a low population, a large land mass, fresh water, fresh air, and a highly educated and skilled workforce. We can’t sell ourselves and future generations of Albertans short, even if the roosters crow from the CN tower or a big building in Ottawa. A recent court decision on Bill C-69 has affirmed that despite the feelings of a few, the constitutional facts of many still prevail in the “True North Strong and Free”.

Back to CPP Analysis Report

The “Ain’t Broke” argument recently fell short, in my opinion, regarding the CPP third-party study that was performed because of the feedback received from Albertans during the Fair Deal Panel. The study has been released, and wow, was it a shocker! When 15 percent of the population owns 53% of the fund, there is a conversation to be had on what is fair and what decisions Albertans can make to determine the future of their portion of the plan. In my opinion, knowing the plan’s status and what options Albertans have is a big deal.

The Ottawa PM strikes again!

I was a bit taken aback but not surprised by the comments made by the current PM, where he would apply the “Hotel California” rule unilaterally to the plan and the option to withdraw from the plan. This PM has demonstrated several times (in my mind) that he believes that rules, laws, and contract terms don’t apply to him or his team. In his mind, it would appear, as the Eagles sang famously in their song “You can check out, but you can never leave”. When the PM says he won’t “Allow” Albertans to make a choice, it kind of sounds like a bait and switch to me.

But contractual terms DO apply, Mr. Prime Minister!

Unlike the Transfer payments or an equalization plan, we have clear contract terms under the CPP, and Albertans can indeed leave when they want and if they want. I’ve been asked by several seniors’ homes to host some “What Matters to You Townhalls” to discuss the plan and other items of interest. I’m looking to host a few hybrid meetings so that we can have a live audience and online participants as well. If you are interested in having one in your community, please reach out to our office.

We are starting the session next week and will be going into the first week in December. I’ve had a chance to get to know our new team since the election, and we have had a few good training sessions with the new MLAs as they are getting acclimated to their new roles. As the Chief Government Whip, I like what I’ve seen as the entire UCP team is coming together. We may have a smaller team by numbers than we had last time, but honestly, I think we are in good shape for the folks in our area and the province as a whole.

We have a clear mandate after the election and a clear message to ensure we stay engaged on what matters the most to folks.

We won’t get distracted by all the roosters.

We will remember who we represent and always look to the future while keeping grounded in reality. We will offer options to folks.

We will keep the communication lines open and in person as much as possible. The low-tech solution is often the best, like this little paper you are reading now, tried and true.

After all, if it Ain’t Broke…

Sincerely,

Shane Getson

Useful links:

https://www.albertapensionplan.ca/

https://www.albertapensionplan.ca/the-report

Download the report here!