Doing Our Part
Dec. 11, 2013
A Speech by Lorraine Mitchelmore at The Economic Club of Canada
A vision for Canada as a true global energy leader in the twenty-first century
The world population is growing faster than ever before. Soon there will be two billion more people living on this planet. This is equivalent to building a new city the size of Ottawa every two weeks. Each new person will need more food, more water, and more energy.
The hydrocarbons that we pull out of the ground and that we almost take for granted here in Canada - whether it’s to run our cars or our washing machines or to make our smart phones, our laptops, our clothes, and our medicines - are fuelling the drive to lift billions of people out of poverty and to sustain their lives.
To put a complex challenge into simple terms:
The world is growing and demanding more energy. That energy is getting harder to produce and get to market. And at the same time we have to reduce carbon emissions. This is a global challenge and opportunity worthy of a great country.
How should Canada respond to these pressures? How do we stay ahead of the competitive curve economically and environmentally? How do we not just get by, but lead?