Canada is a cold country. We need energy to heat our homes and run our cars in what sometimes seems like an endless winter. The energy companies and our government may tell you that supply shortages and increased demand drive up the price of energy. But what they aren’t telling you is that the “increased demand” is coming from the energy-hungry United States.

Canada now produces about 40 per cent more oil than it consumes, but has to rely heavily on imported oil from offshore. Thanks to NAFTA, Canada now exports 70 per cent of the oil and 61 per cent of the natural gas we produce each year to the United States. NAFTA prevents us from selling our energy resources at rates lower than we sell them in the U.S. We also can’t ever cut back on the proportion of energy we produce and sell to the United States, even in times when our country runs short.

Canada needs a Made in Canada Energy policy that promotes sustainable energy, and allows citizens to pay a fair price.