In his budget speech this past Tuesday, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau mentioned “gender,” “equity,” “gender equity” and “gender-based analysis” nearly a dozen times.
And how many times did he mention the pipelines Alberta so desperately needs to open international markets for our oil and bitumen? Exactly none.
Morneau’s address was full of promises about “helping Indigenous Peoples,” aiding “science and discovery” … “supporting seniors, protecting nature, increasing immigration and helping the homeless.” All of which are worthy activities.
But there was almost nothing on the biggest economic engine in the country – the oil and gas sector.
Last week, economic analysts from Scotiabank calculated that getting one or two pipelines built would add nearly $11 billion a year to Canada’s GDP. And that’s just from the sale of oil and bitumen down those pipelines to refineries and ports.
That doesn’t include all the related jobs from pipeline construction and operation, or all the associated jobs building homes for workers or selling them jeans and groceries, cars and gasoline.
But from Morneau? Silence.
Even in the much larger budget document itself (more than six times larger than Morneau’s budget speech), pipelines rate only a single sidebar.
However, as Morneau boasted, “no budget decision was taken without being informed by Gender-based Analysis Plus.”
Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) is a buzzphrase created by the federal Status of Women department and some consultants. It even comes with a catchy logo that includes a “plus” sign crafted from a mosaic of multi-coloured tiles. Sleek.
Now try to figure out what it means and what use it is.
The federal GBA+ webpage says it is “an analytical tool used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people may experience policies, programs and initiatives,” through the “multiple identity factors that intersect to make us who we are.”
Yep, that’s way more important than laying out a plan to finally get built one or two or three pipelines that will make real money for workers, companies, small businesspeople and all three levels of government.
The truly troubling aspect of the skewed priorities in the Trudeau government’s budget is that the Prime Minister and his caucus really do seem to believe this symbollic stuff is as important – or even more important – than keeping our tax rates competitive with those in the U.S., negotiating a new NAFTA, controlling the deficit and reviving Canada’s energy sector.
The Trudeau cabinet has a study it takes for gospel that claims if women’s participation in the workforce (84 per cent) could be raised to the level of men’s (91 per cent), the resulting impact on GDP would be five or six times that of building pipelines.
Who needs pipelines and energy when you have a unicorns-and-rainbows study?
Ever since the budget came down, Ottawa has had Edmonton MP Amarjeet Sohi (who is also the federal Infrastructure minister) running around the province reassuring Albertans that the feds have not forgotten our province.
Right, just as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t forget to mention Alberta during Canada’s official 150thanniversary celebrations this July.
Is there a bit of a pattern developing here?