To the editor:
The public are being gouged by the oil companies. The oil companies say it is all about supply and demand. Yes, they supply petroleum then demand ransom.
Oil insiders say unison in prices is proof of the free market. This is ludicrous because in a free market there would be companies boosting sales by dropping prices. Competition is an illusion.
The oil industry’s greed at the gas pump is only part of the great Canadian oil scam. It starts in the oil fields. All Canadians own the oil resource. The federal government lets the private oil companies grab the oil. After giving the companies generous subsidies, tax write-offs and loopholes the federal government gets only about 8% of the oil company revenues through income tax.
The federal government should be getting a lot more taxes and fees from the private oil companies for our oil. Instead, it recovers the subsidies and tax gifts given to oil companies by cutting services, benefits and raising taxes to all Canadians.
Norway doesn’t need private foreign-owned oil companies like Shell, Exxon, BP and Enbridge etc., and their over-paid executives to run Norway’s oil industry. Norwegians are trained to manage and run all aspects of their oil industry—much better for Norwegians. Because of its publicly run oil industry, Norway has a surplus fund of $US 700 billion. In contrast, siphoned by the privatized oil industry, Canada sinks deeper into massive debt.
As shareholders of their oil industry, Norwegians reap direct benefits. They live carefree with social benefits almost free like medicare, dental care, pharmacare, child day care and university education. Norway even provides free university education to any student from anywhere around the world. Whereas in Canada, the privatized oil industry gets generous corporate welfare while many university students struggle working at three jobs to pay tuition fees and debts.
Fellow Canadians, as long as we allow transnational oil corporations to run the oil industry, we will always be exploited and gouged. The collusive transnational corporations and their loyal agent, the Harper government, believe they can get away with anything. They think Canadians are like docile, submissive sheep. So, why not surprise and scare the hell out of them by taking action?
It is our oil, our country and our divine right. We don’t need greedy foreign transnationals siphoning our oil and running the oil industry. Why not give the unpatriotic Harper government an ultimatum that you want Canada to advance and be like happy, humane Norway where the people run their own oil industry or you will find or form a patriotic political party that will?
Robert Cichocki,
Kelowna
