NAFTA impedes efforts to reduce reliance on oilsands projects like the Suncor refinery outside of Fort McMurray, says professor emeritus Gordon Laxer of the University of Alberta.
The North American Free Trade Agreement makes it difficult for the Alberta and federal governments to phase out the oilsands and phase in low-carbon alternatives, says Gordon Laxer.
Under the deal, Canada must make available to the U.S. the same share of its oil, natural gas, and electricity as it has in the previous three years.
The political economist, founder of the Parkland Institute at the University of Alberta, will discuss the issue in a free public lecture entitled “How NAFTA impedes Action on Climate Change,” Tuesday, October 31, at 11:30 a.m. in room 162, Chrysler Hall South.
Laxer is the author of After the Sands: Energy and Ecological Security for Canadians. His 1989 book Open for Business: The Roots of Foreign Ownership in Canada received the John Porter Award for best book written about Canada.
His appearance on the UWindsor campus is sponsored by the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology.