He's a free market absolutist which is why he opposes supply management, because that's state interference in the market.
Meanwhile, he wants to make Canada self-sufficient with oil in order to protect Canadians from global market fluctuations such the one caused by the attack on Saudi oil refineries that prompted the relevant tweet.
But in order for self-sufficiency to insulate the Canadian oil consumer from global trends, you would have to compel Canadian oil producers to sell their products within Canada, even when prices are higher abroad and there's more money to be made on the global market. Because think about it. A Saudi refinery blows up and the global price of oil rises, who are Canadian producers going to want to sell to? Foreigners at the higher price? Or Canadians at the lower, federally-imposed price?
You would have to use government authority to force those oil producers to sell to the lower paying (Canadian) customer, even though they want to sell it to the higher paying (foreign) curstomer for better returns. That is government market intervention at its worst, the very essence of what Bernier claims to oppose.
He's a free market absolutist which is why he opposes supply management, because that's state interference in the market.
Meanwhile, he wants to make Canada self-sufficient with oil in order to protect Canadians from global market fluctuations such the one caused by the attack on Saudi oil refineries that prompted the relevant tweet.
But in order for self-sufficiency to insulate the Canadian oil consumer from global trends, you would have to compel Canadian oil producers to sell their products within Canada, even when prices are higher abroad and there's more money to be made on the global market. Because think about it. A Saudi refinery blows up and the global price of oil rises, who are Canadian producers going to want to sell to? Foreigners at the higher price? Or Canadians at the lower, federally-imposed price?
You would have to use government authority to force those oil producers to sell to the lower paying (Canadian) customer, even though they want to sell it to the higher paying (foreign) curstomer for better returns. That is government market intervention at its worst, the very essence of what Bernier claims to oppose.
I've asserted no position either way. We're talking about Bernier here, and he's a flip-flopper.
Really? That's what you got from this?