The NDP Socialist Caucus is an unofficial left-wing faction within Canada's New Democratic Party .
129-917: Its manifesto maintains that the New Democratic Party has moved too far to the right , and is in danger of becoming indistinguishable from the Liberal Party . Consequently, the Socialist Caucus also opposed Tony Blair 's Third Way policies and their adoption by the NDP because they "[leave] the basic class and economic structures of capitalism unchanged." The Socialist Caucus was founded in early 1998 in Toronto by Barry Weisleder, Joe Flexer , Sean Cain, Jorge Hurtado and other political activists who had been involved in Peter Kormos 's unsuccessful 1996 campaign to lead
258-510: A non-confidence vote after only nine months, and the Liberals again took power. After Pierre Trudeau 's retirement in 1984, his successor, John Turner , called a federal election, which was won in a landslide by the PCs under Brian Mulroney. Mulroney succeeded by uniting conservatives from Western Canada with those from Quebec . During his tenure, the government unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate
387-494: A "confidential lawsuit", for instance a future BC or Canadian government reversing a federal approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline. The move received criticism from many quarters, including the often supportive Financial Post and is the subject of a current lawsuit. In other respects, Conservative MPs have sometimes been sharply critical of China, particularly over human rights policies and especially treatment of
516-639: A Cree trader, brought a sample of bituminous sands to the Hudson's Bay Company post at York Factory on Hudson Bay where Henry Kelsey was the manager. In 1778, Peter Pond , another fur trader and a founder of the rival North West Company , became the first European to see the Athabasca deposits after exploring the Methye Portage which allowed access to the rich fur resources of the Athabasca River system from
645-603: A Liberal-NDP coalition government filling the vacancies next year". The party introduced a bill in the parliament to have fixed dates for elections and, with the support of the Liberal Party, passed it. However, Ned Franks, a Canadian parliamentary expert, maintains that the Prime Minister still has the right to advise the Governor-General to dissolve the parliament early and drop the writs for an election . In 2006,
774-540: A capacity of 45,000 barrels per day (7,200 m /d), it marked the beginning of commercial development of the Athabasca oil sands. In 2013 McKenzie-Brown listed industrialist J. Howard Pew as one of the six visionaries who built the Athabasca oil sands. By the time of his death in 1971, the Pew family were ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the half-dozen wealthiest families in America. The Great Canadian Oil Sands Limited (then
903-700: A day, equal to a quarter of Canada's oil production, was halted as a result of the fire in May. This continued into June at a rate of 700,000 barrels per day. The lost output was a contributing factor to rises in global oil prices. The scaled back operations, along with a refinery outage in Edmonton, caused many gas stations to run out of gas throughout Western Canada . In 2018, oil sands production reached 3.1 million barrels per day (490,000 m /d). Until 2014, industry groups believed oil sands production levels could reach 5 Mbbl/d (790,000 m /d) by 2030. As of 2021, after
1032-560: A dry retorting. During this process, oil sand is moved through a rotating drum, cracking the bitumen with heat and producing lighter hydrocarbons. Although tested, this technology is not in commercial use yet. The original process for extraction of bitumen from the sands was developed by Dr. Karl Clark , working with the Alberta Research Council in the 1920s. Today, all of the producers doing surface mining, such as Syncrude Canada, Suncor Energy and Albian Sands Energy etc., use
1161-733: A large base of its support toward the end of the Mulroney era. Brian Mulroney's failed attempts to reform the Canadian Constitution with the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords, and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax lost him most of his support. Following Mulroney's resignation in 1993 and Kim Campbell 's brief tenure, the Conservatives were reduced to only two seats in Parliament in
1290-531: A large power vacuum in the Conservative Party, leading to the short tenure of John Abbott , who was the Protestant compromise choice. Abbott's government collapsed when his cabinet walked out on him, forcing him to resign and allowing for the selection of the first Catholic prime minister of Canada, John Sparrow Thompson . At just 45, he was expected to become the successor to Macdonald's legacy, but after only
1419-453: A number of initiatives, including cuts to education, welfare and Medicare , privatization of government services and health care, the sale of provincial highways and the forced amalgamation of municipalities. Provincial income taxes were also cut by 30% and corporate tax rates were nearly cut in half during the Harris mandate. Most Blue Tories are at least somewhat ideologically aligned close to
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#17328733515081548-445: A party to regroup was to accept the consequences of responsible government. They abandoned the idea of being the governor's party and embraced mass politics. At the same time the coalition that had won responsible government began to break up in the 1850s. This presented an opening for more moderate conservatives such as John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier to claim the political centre. Their coalition dominated politics in
1677-481: A press release from Diana McQueen's office, the Minister of Energy and Sustainable Development. The provincial government moved to develop the agency after widespread public criticism by environmentalists, aboriginal groups and scientists, who claimed the oil sands would have a devastating, long-term effect on the environment if left unchecked. On 17 June 2013 the newly formed corporation, Alberta Energy Regulator (AER)
1806-729: A result of oil price increases since 2003, the existing mines have been greatly expanded and new ones were built. According to the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, 2005 production of crude bitumen in the Athabasca oil sands was as follows: As of 2006, oil sands production had increased to 1,126,000 barrels per day (179,000 m /d). Oil sands were by then the source of 62% of Alberta's total oil production and 47% of all oil produced in Canada. As of 2010, oil sands production had increased to over 1.6 million barrels per day (250,000 m /d) to exceed conventional oil production in Canada. 53% of this
1935-665: A result of the easy accessibility, the world's first oil-sands mine was in the Athabasca oil sands. Commercial production of oil from the Athabasca oil sands began in 1967, with the opening of the Great Canadian Oil Sands (GCOS) plant in Fort McMurray . It was the first operational oil sands project in the world, owned and operated by the American parent company, Sun Oil Company . When the US$ 240 million plant officially opened with
2064-747: A result of the price declines in the second half of 2008. The revised forecast predicted that Canadian oil sands production would continue to grow, but at a slower rate than previously predicted. There would be minimal changes to 2008–2012 production, but by 2020 production could be 300,000 barrels per day (48,000 m /d) less than its prior predictions. This would mean that Canadian oil sands production would grow from 1.2 million barrels per day (190,000 m /d) in 2008 to 3.3 million barrels per day (520,000 m /d) in 2020, and that total Canadian oil production would grow from 2.7 to 4.1 million barrels per day (430,000 to 650,000 m /d) in 2020. Even accounting for project cancellations, this would place Canada among
2193-573: A retail gasoline distributor owned by Energy Transfer Partners of Dallas , Texas. In Canada, Suncor Energy converted all of its Sunoco stations (which were all in Ontario) to Petro-Canada sites in order to unify all of its downstream retail operations under the Petro-Canada banner and discontinue paying licensing fees for the Sunoco brand. Nationwide, Petro-Canada's upstream product supplier and parent company
2322-576: A runaway pace of development". Industry is the core force of oil sands development. The first major players, Suncor Energy and Syncrude , dominated the market until the 1990s. Currently there are 64 companies operating several hundred projects. The majority of production now comes from foreign-owned corporations, and the maintenance of a favourable climate for these corporations grants them strong influence; much stronger than that of non-productive stakeholders, such as citizens and environmental groups. Governance (policy, administration, regulation) over
2451-680: A slowdown in investment, analyst are predicting it could reach 3.8 Mbbl/d (600,000 m /d) by that time. Canada is the largest source of oil imported by the United States, supplying 3 million barrels per day (480,000 m /d) chiefly from oil sands sources as of 2019. Industry observers went from believing there might be excess pipeline capacity to warning that it was insufficient to accommodate oil sands production growth, after several pipeline projects were abandoned or cancelled. The North Gateway project to Kitimat, British Columbia , which would have been built by Enbridge , operator of
2580-585: A special program was reiterated by a Conservative Party spokeswoman after the first such conscientious objector (Robin Long) had been deported and sentenced to 15 months in jail. (See Canada and Iraq War resisters for details about two motions in Parliament concerning Canada and Iraq War resisters.) Consistent in all recent Canadian governments is strong ties to China . In 2013, the Conservative administration approved
2709-463: A steep learning curve to deal with before their bitumen mining techniques became efficient. In the intervening years, more effective in-situ production techniques were developed, particularly steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). In-situ methods became increasingly important because only about 20% of the Athabasca oil sands were shallow enough to recover by surface mining, and the SAGD method in particular
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#17328733515082838-477: A subsidiary of Sun Oil Company but now incorporated into an independent company known as Suncor Energy Inc. ) produced 30,000 barrels per day (4,800 m /d) of synthetic crude oil. The true size of the Canadian oil sands deposits became known in the 1970s. The Syncrude mine is now the largest mine (by area) in the world, with mines potentially covering 140,000 km (54,000 sq mi). (Although there
2967-465: A traditional pre-industrial standard of morality – which has never been as evident in American conservatism. Red Toryism derives largely from a classical conservative tradition that maintained that the unequal division of wealth and political privilege among social classes can be justified if members of the privileged class practiced noblesse oblige and contributed to the common good. Red Tories supported traditional institutions such as religion and
3096-623: A variation of the Clark Hot Water Extraction (CHWE) process. In this process, the ores are mined using open-pit mining technology. The mined ore is then crushed for size reduction. Hot water at 50–80 °C (122–176 °F) is added to the ore and the formed slurry is transported using hydrotransport line to a primary separation vessel (PSV) where bitumen is recovered by flotation as bitumen froth. The recovered bitumen froth consists of 60% bitumen, 30% water and 10% solids by weight. The recovered bitumen froth needs to be cleaned to reject
3225-490: A year in office he died from a stroke. Two more short-serving Conservatives, Mackenzie Bowell and Charles Tupper , served out the end of the Conservative government, until the election in 1896 when the coalition of French and English Canadians fell apart and Sir Wilfrid Laurier became the second Liberal prime minister of Canada. The Liberals would dominate for the next fourteen years until the emergence of Robert Borden . Robert Borden's Conservative government led Canada into
3354-725: Is Suncor Energy. Suncor Energy continues to operate just one Sunoco retail site in Ontario. At the turn of the 21st century, oil sands development in Canada started to take off, with an expansion at the Suncor mine, a new mine and expansion at Syncrude, and a new mine by Royal Dutch Shell associated with their new Scotford Upgrader near Edmonton . Three new large steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) projects were added – Foster Creek, Surmont, and MacKay River – by different companies, all of which have since been bought by larger companies. Shell Canada 's third mine began operating in 2003. However, as
3483-406: Is added to the sand, and the resulting slurry is piped to the extraction plant where it is agitated and the oil skimmed from the top. Provided that the water chemistry is appropriate to allow bitumen to separate from sand and clay, the combination of hot water and agitation releases bitumen from the oil sand, and allows small air bubbles to attach to the bitumen droplets. The bitumen froth floats to
3612-577: Is an adherent of a centre-right or paternalistic-conservative political philosophy derived from the Tory tradition, predominantly in Canada, but also in the United Kingdom. This philosophy tends to favour communitarian social policies, while maintaining a degree of fiscal discipline and a respect of social and political order. It is contrasted with " Blue Tory " or " High Tory ". Some Red Tories view themselves as small-c conservatives . In Canada, Red Toryism
3741-487: Is carried out by a number of provincial institutions. Ottawa has avoided direct investment, preferring to improve the investment climate. A prime example of this occurred in 1994, when the federal government rolled out tax breaks allowing 100% of oil sands capital investments to be written off as accelerated capital cost allowances. The provincial government had a much more direct role in development; investing directly in numerous pilot projects, undertaking joint ventures with
3870-468: Is found in provincial and federal Conservative political parties. The history of Red Toryism marks differences in the development of the political cultures of Canada and the United States . Canadian conservatism and American conservatism have been different from each other in fundamental ways, including their stances on social issues and the role of government in society. The adjective "red" refers to
3999-504: Is free flowing. The ERCB has also approved 20 projects that are testing unproven technology as well as new versions of existing technologies. Since Great Canadian Oil Sands (now Suncor) started operation of its mine in 1967, bitumen has been extracted on a commercial scale from the Athabasca Oil Sands by surface mining . In the Athabasca sands there are very large amounts of bitumen covered by little overburden, making surface mining
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4128-488: Is in a fluid state and when mixed with gum, the resinous substance collected from the spruce fir, it serves to gum the Indians' canoes." He was followed in 1799 by mapmaker David Thompson and in 1819 by British Naval officer John Franklin . John Richardson did the first serious scientific assessment of the oil sands in 1848 on his way north to search for Franklin's lost expedition . The first government-sponsored survey of
4257-472: Is oil underlying 142,200 km (54,900 sq mi), which may be disturbed by drilling and in situ extraction, only 4,800 km (1,900 sq mi) may potentially be surface mined, and 904 km (349 sq mi) has to date been mined.) Development was inhibited by declining world oil prices, and the second mine, operated by the Syncrude consortium, did not begin operating until 1978, after
4386-491: Is represented mainly by the Libertarian Party of Canada , People's Party of Canada , and other small provincial parties. These parties have never been successful in having members elected. While social conservatism exists throughout Canada, it is not as pronounced as it is in some other countries, such as the United States . It represents conservative positions on issues of culture, family, sexuality and morality. Despite
4515-505: Is that it is the only one shallow enough to be suitable for surface mining . About 10% of the Athabasca oil sands are covered by less than 75 metres (246 ft) of overburden . Until 2009, the surface mineable area (SMA) was defined by the ERCB, an agency of the Alberta government, to cover 37 contiguous townships (about 3,400 km or 1,300 sq mi) north of Fort McMurray . In June 2009,
4644-524: The 1921 election the Conservatives were relegated to third place, at the expense of the new Progressive movement based mostly in the Prairie West (see Western alienation ). Once the Progressive movement had largely been subsumed into the Liberal Party of Canada , the Conservatives were once again in opposition, until the election of 1930, under the leadership of R. B. Bennett. But in the 1935 election
4773-452: The 1973 oil crisis sparked investor interest. However, the price of oil subsided afterwards and although the 1979 energy crisis caused oil prices to peak again, during the 1980s, oil prices declined to very low levels causing considerable retrenchment in the oil industry. In 1979, Sun formed Suncor by merging its Canadian refining and retailing interests with Great Canadian Oil Sands and its conventional oil and gas interests. In 1981,
4902-635: The 1993 federal election . The Liberal Party was elected with a strong majority and the Reform Party gradually replaced the Tories as the major right-wing party in Canada. The Reform Party under Preston Manning would become the Official Opposition from 1997 to 2000. Throughout the 1990s, many social conservatives and Blue Tories in the PC Party began to drift slowly to the Reform Party and then in droves to
5031-470: The 2012 and 2017 NDP leadership elections, the Socialist Caucus endorsed Niki Ashton , on the latter occasion after leading an unsuccessful effort to draft former Ontario Federation of Labour president Sid Ryan as a candidate. In 2011, the Socialist Caucus proposed resolutions at that year's federal NDP convention to oppose the Alberta oil sands , legalize marijuana, boycott "apartheid Israel" , repeal
5160-428: The Alberta oil sands is focused on economic development, and has historically been dominated by the interests of two primary actors; government (federal and provincial) and industry. Canadian federalism forms the functions and roles of each level of government, in that constitutional power is split so that neither is superior to the other. The Constitution Act, 1867 , Section 109 ensures the province full ownership of
5289-585: The American Revolutionary War with traditionalist conservative views alongside pro-market liberalism ideals, is the reason that Canadian conservatives generally prefer the Westminster system of government. Originally, Canadian conservatism tended to be traditionalist . Conservative governments in Canada, such as those of John A. Macdonald , Robert Borden , R. B. Bennett , and John Diefenbaker , were known for supporting an active role for
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5418-524: The Bloc Québécois or the Reform Party were the Official Opposition. After the 1997 federal election some members of the Reform Party tried to end the vote splitting by merging the two parties. A new party was formed, called the Canadian Alliance, and Stockwell Day was elected its leader. However, many PCs resisted the move, suspecting that Reform Party ideology would dominate the new party, and
5547-512: The Clarity Act , and nationalize auto, bank and insurance companies. In the wake of the NDP's breakthrough in the 2011 federal election in which they won over 100 seats and formed Official Opposition in the House of Commons for the first time, Socialist Caucus chair Barry Weisleder told The Globe and Mail that "the election on May 2 sent a very clear message: the voters rejected the Liberal Party and
5676-546: The Conservative Party of Canada . This party was the dominant political force in Canadian politics from 1867 to 1935. Thereafter, the party (renamed the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 1945) spent more time in opposition than in government. During the twentieth century rival " small-c conservative " movements appeared, most notably the federal Social Credit and Reform parties. Conservatism
5805-665: The Enbridge Pipeline System which also serves the area, was cancelled in 2016. Similarly, after lengthy environmentalist and First Nation group opposition, Keystone XL , a pipeline project from Alberta to Gulf coast refineries, was cancelled in 2021. Other projects, using existing rights of way, are being built, like Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Expansion , nationalized in 2018, or Enbridge's Line 9 , reversed to feed refineries in Quebec. Between January 2019 and December 2020,
5934-661: The Falun Gong . These positions are not materially different than those of other parties. Prior to winning election, Stephen Harper openly favoured the alternative vote method of selecting both MPs and Senators. As the successor of the Western Canada-based Canadian Alliance (formerly the Reform Party of Canada), the party supported reform of the Senate to make it "elected, equal, and effective" (the " Triple-E Senate "). However, party leader Stephen Harper advised
6063-672: The Governor General to appoint the unelected Michael Fortier to both the Senate and to the Cabinet on 6 February 2006, the day his minority government took office. On 22 December 2008, Prime Minister Harper asked the Governor General to fill all eighteen Senate seats that had been vacant at the time. It was earlier reported in The Toronto Star that this action was "to kill any chance of
6192-503: The MV Sun Sea incident . These changes cleared an immigration backlog that had persisted for many years under the previous Liberal government, reducing the processing time from over 1000 days to less than two months. All 110 Conservative Party MPs voted against an opposition motion concerning conscientious objectors and the introduction of programs to allow objectors to seek refuge in Canada. On 13 September 2008, this refusal to set up
6321-465: The Montreal and Toronto commercial elite who took positions of influence within the Progressive Conservative Party. Since the mid-1970s, they have been heavily influenced by the libertarian movement and the more individualist nature of American conservatism . Blue Tories tend to favour libertarian policies such as devolution of federal power to the provincial governments, a reduced role for government in
6450-538: The Ontario New Democratic Party criticized Andrea Horwath 's conduct of the party's campaign in the 2014 provincial election and unsuccessfully called for a review of her leadership at the party's subsequent convention in November 2014. During the 2015 federal election , caucus leader Barry Weisleder was outspoken in his criticisms of the party's platform and campaign, claiming that the party had moved to
6579-456: The Ontario New Democratic Party . It is active primarily in Ontario at the federal and provincial levels. The caucus views itself as the successor to The Waffle of the 1960s and 1970s and a number of members in the Socialist Caucus were also in the NDP's Left Caucus and the Campaign for an Activist Party or CAP of the 1980s. The Trotskyist group Socialist Action plays a "leading role" in
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#17328733515086708-591: The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada . While the PCs and Reform had some similar economic policies, Reformers wanted deeper cuts to government services than the PCs and Reformers had strong social conservative stances whereas the PCs were more neutral on controversial social issues. The PCs faced an unprecedented collapse in the 1993 federal election and Reform surpassed the PCs as the largest conservative party in Canada's parliament. After several elections of neither party making significant gains,
6837-528: The United Province of Canada , and when joined by liberal George Brown , provided the broad support necessary to negotiate Confederation with the Maritime Provinces . The MacDonald-Cartier coalition's prestige was only strengthened by the creation of the new Canadian Confederation in 1867. Their coalition dominated the early politics of the new state. Their "National Policy" of high tariffs against
6966-631: The state of Israel and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . Harper also took aggressive action against perceived sponsors of terrorism such as Iran, closing the Canadian embassy and expelling the Iranian diplomats in 2012. In 2012, the Conservative government introduced reforms to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act which limited refugee claims from those on a list of designated countries of origin, those considered safe by Canada for most persons. Other changes allowed for detention of mass arrivals, following
7095-419: The tailings , Diluent Recovery Units to recover naphtha from the froth, inclined plate settlers (IPS) and disc centrifuges . These allow the extraction plants to recover well over 90% of the bitumen in the sand. After oil extraction, the spent sand and other materials are then returned to the mine, which is eventually reclaimed . Alberta Taciuk Process technology extracts bitumen from oil sands through
7224-562: The "sharpest thorn in Harper's side". Major media commentators often use Page's reports as a starting point for general criticisms of Harper's budgetary and transparency practices, including comedic rants. Athabasca oil sands The Athabasca oil sands , also known as the Athabasca tar sands , are large deposits of oil sands rich in bitumen , a heavy and viscous form of petroleum, in northeastern Alberta , Canada. These reserves are one of
7353-651: The Alberta Energy Regulator "the authority to administer the Public Lands Act , the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act and the Water Act , with regards to energy development." The Alberta Energy Regulator will enforce environmental laws and issue environmental and water permits, responsibilities formerly the mandate of Alberta Environment. The key characteristic of the Athabasca deposit
7482-423: The Alberta government announced it would follow the recommendations of a working group to develop an agency that would monitor the environmental impact of the oil sands. "The new science-based agency will begin work in the oil sands region and will focus on what is monitored, how it's monitored and where it's monitored. This will include integrated and coordinated monitoring of land, air, water and biodiversity," said
7611-446: The Alberta government imposed a quota to adjust production to pipeline export capacity. To compensate for pipeline capacity limitations, shipment of oil by rail increased from less than 50 thousand to 400 thousand barrels per day (64,000 m /d) between 2012 and 2020. As of December 2008, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers revised its 2008–2020 crude oil forecasts to account for project cancellations and cutbacks as
7740-481: The Arctic Ocean. Her photographs were reproduced in 2011–2012 in an exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, and included photos of Count Alfred Von Hammerstein's oil drill works along the Athabasca River. In 1926, Karl Clark of the University of Alberta received a patent for a hot water separation process which was the forerunner of today's thermal extraction processes. Several attempts to implement it had varying degrees of success. Project Oilsand
7869-529: The Canadian Alliance dominated the opposition benches. Support for both the Reform Party and the Progressive Conservatives was negligible in Quebec until the 2006 federal election , where the renewed Conservative party won 10 seats in Quebec. In the west, the Reform Party took most of the PC Party's former seats, but held much more socially or economically conservative views than the old party on most subjects (regarding, for example, homosexuality, religion in public life, gun control , and government intervention in
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#17328733515087998-438: The Conservatives campaigned strongly against Liberal abuses in the Sponsorship scandal and vowed to introduce several accountability measures that would hold even a majority government to account. These included a Parliamentary Budget Office whose first head Kevin Page found himself often sharply at odds with Harper government policy and issued several reports scathing of Conservative practices, even sometimes being described as
8127-399: The Conservatives were handed a major defeat by the Liberals, with a new right-wing party, Social Credit, placing a close third, again on the strength of Western alienation . Throughout most of the last century, the Progressive Conservative Party (often abbreviated PC ) dominated conservative politics at the federal level and in most provinces. Canada had many conservative Prime Ministers in
8256-414: The First World War, with the Laurier-led Liberal in opposition. The government wanted to introduce conscription , and sought a coalition to pursue this policy. Most English-speaking Liberals joined the Tories to form a coalition called "Unionist" with the mostly-French speaking Liberal rump in opposition. After the war this coalition, now led by Arthur Meighen could not govern with a stable majority. In
8385-540: The Government of Ontario purchased a 25% stake in the company but divested it in 1993. In 1995, Sun Oil also divested its interest in the company, although Suncor maintained the Sunoco retail brand in Canada. Suncor took advantage of these two divestitures to become an independent, widely held public company . Suncor continued to grow and continued to produce more and more oil from its oil sands operations regardless of fluctuating market prices, and eventually became bigger than its former parent company. In 2009, Suncor acquired
8514-413: The Hudson Bay watershed. In 1788, fur trader Alexander Mackenzie , after whom the Mackenzie River was later named, traveled along routes to both the Arctic and Pacific Ocean wrote: "At about 24 miles [39 km] from the fork (of the Athabasca and Clearwater Rivers) are some bituminous fountains into which a pole of 20 feet [6.1 m] long may be inserted without the least resistance. The bitumen
8643-405: The NDP from considering merger with the Liberal Party of Canada . None of the resolutions proposed by the Socialist Caucus received enough support to reach the floor of the convention for debate. The Socialist Caucus publishes a newspaper named Turn Left , edited by Sean Cain, for each federal and Ontario provincial NDP convention. Beginning with the 2011 NDP convention issue, the publication took
8772-404: The NDP should not strive to become a substitute Liberal Party. That’s the road to ruin", adding that "To survive, the NDP has to turn left and offer Canadians and in particular working people, an alternative to the corporate agenda." The faction also opposed a motion to remove the phrase "democratic socialism" from the preamble of the NDP's constitution and supported an unsuccessful resolution to bar
8901-443: The PC Party with the Alliance. Later on that year, the Progressive Conservative Party, which dated back to 1854 (though existing under many different names), merged with the Canadian Alliance. 96% of the Alliance's membership and 92% of the PC Party's riding representatives approved the merger. The contemporary Conservative Party of Canada was then created, and, in 2004, Stephen Harper was elected leader. Dissident Red Tories opposed to
9030-464: The PC party's standings, Peter MacKay was chosen in a leadership contest to replace him. MacKay immediately created controversy within the party by entering into negotiations with Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper to merge the two parties. MacKay had been elected on a third ballot of the party's leadership convention as a result of an agreement that he signed with another leadership contestant, David Orchard , in which he promised never to merge
9159-440: The Reform Party's direct successor, the Canadian Alliance. This left the PC Party under the control of the moderate Red Tory faction. Despite taking what they believed to be more popular socially progressive approaches on certain issues, the PCs significantly fell in the popular vote from the 1997 to 2000 federal elections and were not able to greatly increase their representation in the House of Commons. The Reform Party and then
9288-449: The SMA was expanded to 51 + 1 ⁄ 2 townships, or about 4,700 km or 1,800 sq mi. This expansion pushes the northern limit of the SMA to within 12 miles (19 km) of Wood Buffalo National Park , a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The Albian Sands mine (operated by Shell Canada ) opened in 2003. All three of these mines are associated with bitumen upgraders that convert
9417-531: The Socialist Caucus. An earlier group called the Socialist Caucus was formed around 1959 and 1960 in Vancouver . It consisted of a group of Co-operative Commonwealth Federation dissidents, "communists, Trotskyists , and fellow travellers " led by former CCF Member of Parliament Rod Young , and was involved in the CCF and then the NDP. The group published a journal called Press and then Socialist Caucus Bulletin , which
9546-496: The US and UK. With the rise in inflation and a large budgetary deficit in Canada from the Trudeau government, emphasis was put on "shrinking the size of government" (in part, through privatization), pursuing continental trade arrangements ( free trade , creating tax incentives and cutting "government waste"). Joe Clark became Prime Minister with a minority government in 1979, but lost to
9675-522: The United States during the American Revolution and War of Independence. They were wary of emulating the US's "mob rule" and preferred a strong role for traditional elites such as landowners and Christianity in politics. Many were Anglicans who supported keeping the Anglican Church of Canada as Canada's established church . In each colony, Tories contested elections as the personal party of
9804-405: The United States, and Crown Corporations such as Teleglobe , Petro-Canada and Air Canada (some created by previous Conservative governments) were sold to both domestic and foreign private buyers (privatized). However, due to the failure of the Mulroney government to balance the budget and service debt, the federal debt continued to rise. It was not until the end of Mulroney's administration and
9933-484: The United States, and intense railway building , became the basis of a political dynasty that dominated Canadian politics from Confederation until Macdonald's death in office in 1891. The greatest strain in this coalition came during the Riel rebellions of 1869 and 1885 , which inflamed French-English and Protestant-Catholic tensions in the country. After Macdonald's death, the coalition faltered. The death of Macdonald left
10062-421: The United States, and the country is poised to become a significant driver of global crude oil production growth in 2024. The exploitation of these resources has stirred debates regarding economic development, energy security, and environmental impacts, particularly emissions from the oilsands, prompting discussions around emissions regulations for the oil and gas sector. The Athabasca oil sands, along with
10191-748: The Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA), the Canadian Oil Sands Network for Research and Development (CONRAD) and the Athabasca Regional Issues Working Group (RIWG). The role of the MSC is to consult and make recommendations on management principles. The recommendations contained in the MSC's first 2007 Final Report were lauded by several ministers and government representatives, but none have yet been effectively passed into law. On October 17, 2012,
10320-450: The acquisition of Nexen by a Chinese firm. It also advanced, as of 2013, FIPA agreement, containing guarantees that Chinese buyer would have the legal right to sue Canada in private settlement of inhibition to its activities by that government (including provincial or municipal for whom the federal government would be liable). The actual extent or limit of these powers would not be publicly known and settlements would be private, in effect
10449-563: The actions of the United States' government. It supports the Cuban Revolution , the withdrawal of Canada from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the independence of Quebec , and opposes Zionism . In 2001, the Socialist Caucus ran Marcel Hatch in a leadership challenge against Alexa McDonough . Hatch won 120 votes out of 765 ballots cast. Bev Meslo
10578-545: The beginning of Jean Chrétien 's Liberal government that the government's program of spending finally halted the growth in the federal debt. The government's willingness to affirm Quebec's demands for recognition as a distinct society was seen as a betrayal by many westerners as well as angering Canadian Nationalists mostly from Ontario . The Reform Party of Canada was founded on a strongly right-wing populist conservative platform as an alternative voice for these western conservatives. The Progressive Conservative Party lost
10707-626: The conservatives in Eastern and Western Canada because Western conservatives perceived Canada's federal parliament as being dominated by Eastern interests. This Western alienation led to the creation of the Reform Party of Canada as a Western-based populist protest party promoting constitutional reform to balance the regions' interests and sought to expand into the East—especially in Ontario—to displace
10836-436: The continuation of old political institutions and the preservation of strong ties to the monarchy . In the latter half of the 20th-century, Canadian conservatism embraced neoliberal economic policies which included free trade, the seeking of balanced budgets, and the support of the privatizations of Crown Corporations which were claimed to be better provided for by the private sector. During this time, division arose between
10965-603: The economic libertarian positions of the former Canadian Alliance ; as such, they supported the merger between the PCs and the Alliance to form the new federal Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). Some notable Blue Tories include many prominent federal and provincial Progressive Conservatives such as former PC Party Leader and Attorney General Peter MacKay , Conservative Party leadership contender and former Treasury Board President Tony Clement , former Premier of Ontario Mike Harris , and former CPC leader Andrew Scheer . A Red Tory
11094-452: The economically left-leaning nature of Red Toryism in comparison with Blue Toryism, since socialist and other leftist parties have traditionally used the colour red . The term reflects the broad ideological range traditionally found within conservatism in Canada. Historically, Canadian conservatism has been derived from the Tory tradition, with a distinctive concern for a balance between individual rights and collectivism, as mediated through
11223-626: The economy). The PCs retained moderate support in the Atlantic Provinces , would manage to regain a few seats. They also retained scattered support across the country. The result was that neither new party managed to approach the success of the Progressive Conservatives prior to 1993. In many ridings the conservative vote was split , letting other parties win: the Liberal Party under Jean Chrétien won three successive majority governments starting in 1993. During this period, either
11352-471: The economy, reduction of taxation and similar mainstream market liberal ideals. The term Blue Tory does not refer to social conservatism . One example of a Blue Tory administration in Canada was the ' Common Sense Revolution ' provincial Progressive Conservative government of Ontario Premier Mike Harris . The Harris Tories were widely viewed as radical by Canadian standards in their economic policies and style of governance. Harris' government embarked on
11481-593: The form of a magazine. In September 2011, caucus chair Barry Weisleder won the nomination to be the Ontario NDP's candidate in Thornhill in the 2011 provincial election . Within 48 hours, the party's provincial secretary rescinded the nomination without explanation. The Socialist Caucus opposed resolutions at the 2011 and 2013 federal NDP conventions to rewrite the preamble of the party's constitution in order to remove its commitment to socialism. The Socialist Caucus in
11610-406: The formerly Canadian government owned oil company, Petro-Canada , which turned Suncor into the largest petroleum company in Canada and one of the biggest Canadian companies. Suncor Energy is now a Canadian company completely unaffiliated with its former American parent company. Sun Oil Company became known as Sunoco , but later left the oil production and refining business, and has since become
11739-735: The four or five largest oil-producing countries in the world by 2020. In early December 2007, London-based BP and Calgary-based Husky Energy announced a 50–50 joint venture to produce and refine bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands. BP would contribute its Toledo, Ohio refinery to the joint venture, while Husky would contribute its Sunrise oil sands project. Sunrise was planned to start producing 60,000 barrels per day (9,500 m /d) of bitumen in 2012 and may reach 200,000 bbl/d (32,000 m /d) by 2015–2020. BP would modify its Toledo refinery to process 170,000 bbl/d (27,000 m /d) of bitumen directly to refined products. The joint venture would solve problems for both companies, since Husky
11868-530: The government in the economy and the creation of government-operated businesses (early Crown Corporations such as the Canadian National Railway ) to develop and protect Canadian industries, protectionist programs such as the National Policy . Canadian conservatism thus mirrored British Conservatism in its values and economic and political outlooks. Canadian conservatives have generally favored
11997-832: The governor to the elected assemblies. This new arrangement, called responsible government , mirrored earlier changes that had occurred in Britain. After the failure of radical liberalism during the Rebellions of 1837, a new set of moderate liberals, led by Robert Baldwin in Canada West , Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine in Canada East and Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia rose to prominence. They campaigned for and won responsible government by creating broad coalitions that took in liberals, moderates, and conservatives. The only way for conservatives as
12126-805: The governor. Business elites who surrounded the governor also hoped to gain patronage . In Upper Canada this was the Family Compact , in Lower Canada the Chateau Clique . Opposition to the rule of these oligarchies resulted in the Rebellions of 1837 . After the rebellions, Lord Durham (a Whig or liberal) issued his Report on the Affairs of British North America , a report to the British government that recommended that most powers in colonial governments be given from
12255-455: The heart of the deposit, and traces of the heavy oil are readily observed on the river banks. Historically , the bitumen was used by the indigenous Cree and Dene Aboriginal peoples to waterproof their canoes. The oil deposits are located within the boundaries of Treaty 8 , and several First Nations of the area are involved with the sands. The Athabasca oil sands first came to the attention of European fur traders in 1719 when Wa-pa-su,
12384-591: The history and ideology of conservatism, identified Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson as the most significant conservative thinker to appear in the English-speaking world in a generation. While in Opposition, Stephen Harper voted in favour of Canadian military involvement in the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq; he later admitted this had been a mistake. Conservative Party member resolutions express strong support for
12513-420: The industry and consistently making massive investments in research and development. Some people have claimed that Alberta features one of the lowest royalty rates in the world. Since Alberta, unlike US states, owns the vast majority of oil under its surface it can exercise more control over it, whereas US states are limited to severance taxes. This industry-centric royalty system has been criticised for "promoting
12642-473: The lands and resources within its borders. The province acts as the landowner and the federal government oversees jurisdiction over trade, commerce and taxation. There is a clear overlap, as resource management influences trade, and trade management influences resources. As of the 1990s, both the federal and provincial government have been aligned, focusing on regulation, technology and the development of new export markets. The majority of "ground-level" governance
12771-708: The largest private sector oil sands producer in the world. ConocoPhillips currently holds the largest position in the Canadian oil sands with over 1 million acres (4,000 km ) under lease. Other major oil sands producers planning to increase their production include Royal Dutch Shell (to 770,000 bbl/d (122,000 m /d)); Syncrude Canada (to 550,000 bbl/d (87,000 m /d)); Suncor Energy (to 500,000 bbl/d (79,000 m /d)) and Canadian Natural Resources (to 500,000 bbl/d (79,000 m /d)). If all these plans come to fruition, these five companies will be producing over 3.3 Mbbl/d (520,000 m /d) of oil from oil sands by 2028. The governance of
12900-400: The largest sources of unconventional oil in the world, making Canada a significant player in the global energy market. As of 2023, Canada's oil sands industry, along with Western Canada and offshore petroleum facilities near Newfoundland and Labrador, continued to increase production and were projected to increase by an estimated 10% in 2024 representing a potential record high at the end of
13029-458: The largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta's history and the costliest disaster in Canadian history . The wildfire halted oil sands production at facilities north of Fort McMurray. Shell Canada shut down output at its Albian Sands mining operation. Suncor Energy and Syncrude Canada also scaled back operations and evacuated employees and their families. Approximately one million barrels of oil
13158-459: The merger would go on to form the minor Progressive Canadian Party . Under Stephen Harper, the platform of the Conservative Party emphasized the Blue Tory policies of fiscal restraint, increases in military spending, tax cuts and Senate Reform. The Harper-led Conservative Party has, however, come under fire, with many accusing them of adopting neoconservative policies. Yoram Hazony , a scholar on
13287-489: The monarchy, and maintenance of the social order. This position was later manifest in their support for some aspects of the welfare state . This belief in a common good, as expanded on in Colin Campbell and William Christian 's Political Parties and Ideologies in Canada , is at the root of Red Toryism. Libertarianism as a political philosophy is not considered to be a primary force in Canadian conservatism. This philosophy
13416-419: The most efficient method of extracting it. The overburden consists of water-laden muskeg (peat bog) over top of clay and barren sand. The oil sands themselves are typically 40 to 60 metres (130 to 200 ft) deep, sitting on top of flat limestone rock. Originally, the sands were mined with draglines and bucket-wheel excavators and moved to the processing plants by conveyor belts . These early mines had
13545-705: The most extensive petroleum field in America, if not the world." Count Alfred von Hammerstein (1870–1941), who arrived in the region in 1897, promoted the Athabasca oil sands for over forty years, taking photos with descriptive titles such as "Tar Sands and Flowing Asphaltum in the Athabasca District," that are now in the National Library and National Archives Canada. Photos of the Athabasca oil sands were also featured in Canadian writer and adventurer, Agnes Deans Cameron 's, best-selling book The New North which recounted her 10,000 mi (16,000 km) roundtrip to
13674-530: The nearby Peace River and Cold Lake deposits oil sand deposits lie under 141,000 square kilometres (54,000 sq mi) of boreal forest and muskeg (peat bogs ) according to Government of Alberta's Ministry of Energy, Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). The Athabasca oil sands are named after the Athabasca River which cuts through
13803-441: The new party garnered only a little more support than its predecessor. Meanwhile, the PC Party re-elected Joe Clark as their leader and attempted to regain lost ground. Day's tenure was marked by a number of public gaffes and apparent publicity stunts, and he was widely portrayed as incompetent and ignorant. Several MPs left his party in 2002. In 2003, when former Prime Minister Joe Clark retired after being brought back to improve
13932-656: The oil sands is held almost entirely by the Ministry of Energy (Alberta) and its various departments. Critics noted a clear and systemic lack of public involvement at all key stages of the governance process. In answer to this, the province initiated the Oil Sands Consultations Multistakeholder Committee (MSC) in 2006. The MSC represents four organisations: the Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA),
14061-539: The oil sands was initiated in 1875 by John Macoun , and in 1883, G. C. Hoffman of the Geological Survey of Canada tried separating the bitumen from oil sand with the use of water and reported that it separated readily. In 1888, Robert Bell , the director of the Geological Survey of Canada, reported to a Senate Committee that "The evidence ... points to the existence in the Athabasca and Mackenzie valleys of
14190-496: The past, but the first to be elected under the Progressive Conservative banner was John Diefenbaker, who served from 1957 to 1963. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the rise of Conservative politicians in Canada such as Ralph Klein , Don Getty , Brian Mulroney , Preston Manning , Mike Harris and others, the objectives and values of Conservatives in Canada began to mimic those of fiscal conservatives in both
14319-478: The price of oil down from more than 100 dollars a barrel in 2013 to less than 40 dollars three years later. Lingering low oil prices prompted companies to cancel new investments in the oil sands. From May to July 2016, a wildfire spread from Fort McMurray across northern Alberta , burning approximately 590,000 hectares (1,500,000 acres) of forested areas and destroying approximately 2,400 homes and buildings. 88,000 people were forced from their homes in what became
14448-549: The provincial level. Far-right politics have never been a prominent force in Canadian society. The first party which called itself "Conservative" in what would become Canada was elected in the Province of Canada election of 1854 . Canadian conservative ideology has its origins in British Toryism , but over time has been influenced by American conservatism . Stemming from the resettlement of United Empire Loyalists after
14577-526: The recent Conservative government having influential members who would be defined as social conservatives in its caucus, social conservatism is considered to have little influence on Canadian society and political policy. One of their notable wins was a 2014 neo-abolitionist law passed against prostitution, which banned buying services as well as third party involvement. The conservative movement in Canada evolved from relatively informal pre-Confederation political movements or parties, gradually coalescing into
14706-641: The removal of Mulcair as party leader and supported a leadership review at the NDP convention held in April 2016 in Edmonton . Conservatism in Canada Provincial Provincial Conservatism in Canada ( French : conservatisme ) is generally considered a movement which is primarily represented by the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada in federal party politics , as well as various centre-right and right-wing parties at
14835-474: The right under leader Tom Mulcair . Weisleder told the National Post that the party under Mulcair had undergone "a continuation of the movement towards conservative policies. It remains a party linked to working people and the working-class organizations in the country. But its leadership and the policies of that leadership continue to embrace the capitalist order." Subsequently, the Socialist Caucus called for
14964-413: The status of Quebec through the failed Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords . During the government of Brian Mulroney (1984–1993), government spending on social programs was cut, taxes for individuals and businesses were reduced (but a new national tax appeared for nearly all goods and services), government intervention in the economy was significantly reduced, a free trade agreement was concluded with
15093-408: The top of separation vessels, and is further treated to remove residual water and fine solids. About two short tons (1.8 t) of oil sands are required to produce one barrel ( 1 ⁄ 8 short ton; 110 kg) of oil. Originally, roughly 75% of the bitumen was recovered from the sand. However, recent enhancements to this method include Tailings Oil Recovery (TOR) units which recover oil from
15222-483: The two parties agreed to merge into the new Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. Meanwhile, although Quebec delivered few seats to conservative parties in federal elections from 1993 on, conservative themes were influential in Quebec provincial politics . Blue Tories are, in Canadian politics, Conservatives who are more free-market or liberal economically. Prior to the 1960s, these Conservatives were most identified with
15351-572: The unusable bitumen into synthetic crude oil for shipment to refineries in Canada and the United States . For Albian, the upgrader is at Scotford, 439 km south. The bitumen, diluted with a solvent, is transferred there in a 610 mm (24 in) corridor pipeline. The Energy Resource Conservation Board has approved over 100 mining and in-situ projects despite the negative environmental impacts. As of 2012, there were 9 active open mining projects, more than 50 approved in-situ projects as well as 190 primary recovery projects extracting bitumen that
15480-695: The year of approximately 5.3 million barrels per day (bpd). The surge in production is attributed mainly to growth in Alberta's oilsands. The expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline —the only oil pipeline to the West Coast—will further facilitate this increase, with its capacity set to increase significantly, to 890,000 barrels per day from 300,000 bpd currently. Despite this growth, there are warnings that it might be short-lived, with production potentially plateauing after 2024. Canada's anticipated increase in oil output exceeds that of other major producers like
15609-516: Was a 1958 proposal to exploit the Athabasca oil sands using the underground detonation of nuclear explosives ; hypothetically, the heat and pressure created by an underground detonation would boil the bitumen deposits, reducing their viscosity to the point that standard oilfield techniques could be used. The plan was discussed in the October 1976 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists . A patent
15738-416: Was co-edited by Ernie Tate . The group eventually had branches in Alberta , Saskatchewan , Ontario , and Quebec and eventually folded into The Waffle. The group is a socialist faction and advocates economic democracy and workers' control, full employment , the nationalization of large industries and the eradication of poverty and homelessness. The caucus is anti- imperialist , and condemns many of
15867-698: Was divided (especially by region) until the merger of the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance (the direct successor to the Reform Party) in 2003. In the early days of electoral politics in Canada, the term conservatives or Tories applied to those people who supported the authority of colonial governors and their advisers over the elected assemblies. These conservatives took their cues from British Tories , especially Burke. They supported royal privilege, and were avowedly anti-democratic. Tory supporters were often descended from loyalists who had fled
15996-687: Was granted for the intended process in 1964. The nuclear heating option is considered a forerunner to some of the conventional heating methods used to extract tar sands oil. In April 1959, the Federal Mines Department approved Project Oilsand. However, it was subsequently cancelled in 1962. The oil sands, which are typically 40 to 60 metres (130 to 200 ft) thick and sit on top of relatively flat limestone , are relatively easy to access. They lie under 1 to 3 m (3 ft 3 in to 9 ft 10 in) of waterlogged muskeg , 0 to 75 metres (0 to 246 ft) of clay and barren sand. As
16125-703: Was phased in with a mandate to regulate oil, gas and coal development in Alberta including the Athabasca oil sands. The AER brings together "the regulatory functions from the Energy Resources Conservation Board and the Alberta Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development into a one-stop shop" The Alberta Energy Regulator is now "responsible for all projects from application to reclamation." They will respond to project proponents, landowners and industry regarding energy regulations in Alberta. The Responsible Energy Development Act gave
16254-577: Was produced by surface mining and 47% by in-situ techniques. In 2012, oil production from oil sands was 1.8 million barrels per day (290,000 m /d). The massive development of tight oil extraction in the Bakken and Permian Basin in the United States transformed the oil industry rapidly, reducing importation of foreign oil dramatically. As with the oil sands, production costs of shale oil are higher than those of conventional oil. A combination of factors, among them oversupply and geopolitical rivalries, drove
16383-425: Was short of refining capacity, and BP had no presence in the oil sands. It was a change of strategy for BP, since the company historically has downplayed the importance of oil sands. In mid December 2007, ConocoPhillips announced its intention to increase its oil sands production from 60,000 barrels per day (9,500 m /d) to 1 million barrels per day (160,000 m /d) over the next 20 years, which would make it
16512-457: Was the Socialist Caucus' candidate in the party's 2003 leadership election , winning 1.1% of the vote in the party's first One Member One Vote leadership election, which was won by Jack Layton . After an unsuccessful attempt to draft Peter Kormos to run for the leadership of the Ontario NDP , the Socialist Caucus endorsed Michael Prue leading up to the 2009 ONDP leadership election . In
16641-524: Was very efficient at recovering large amounts of bitumen at a reasonable cost. In recent years, companies such as Syncrude and Suncor have switched to much cheaper shovel-and-truck operations using the biggest power shovels (at least 100 short tons; 91 t) and dump trucks (400 short tons; 360 t) in the world. This has held production costs to around US$ 27 per barrel of synthetic crude oil despite rising energy and labour costs. After excavation, hot water and caustic soda ( sodium hydroxide )
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