Taxpayers Federation goes to court to fight for Canadian resource development

Author: Franco Terrazzano 2021/02/23

CALGARY, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation opposed the federal government’s Impact Assessment Act, also known as the No More Pipelines Law, in the Alberta Court of Appeal today.

“We need to be able to develop our resources to create jobs and get our neighbours back to work, and we also need these projects to help us pay for hospitals, teachers and lower taxes,” said Franco Terrazzano, the CTF’s Alberta Director. “Resource projects help pay the bills and when they aren’t able to generate that revenue politicians start looking to families to fill the budget gap.”

The CTF’s lawyer argued that the federal law blurs federal and provincial accountability for resource development.

The CTF calculated that the pipeline deficit could cost taxpayers $12.8 billion between 2013 and 2023 by reducing the federal government’s revenue. That means a lack of pipelines could cost each province and territory at least one new hospital between 2013 and 2023.

A pipeline deficit could cost Alberta taxpayers up to $4.5 billion between 2020 and 2022, according to the provincial government’s 2020 budget.

“Taxpayers are being dragged further into debt because politicians have been roadblocking pipelines in Canada and that needs to stop,” said Terrazzano. “We applaud Premier Jason Kenney for sticking up for Albertans and giving taxpayers an opportunity to defeat Ottawa’s No More Pipelines Law.”

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