Dear John,

My name is Elmira Aliakbari and I am the Director of Natural Resource Studies here at the Fraser Institute.

In a resource-rich country like ours, public policy is so important. Yet so often our headlines are dominated by – and public opinion is swayed by – political talking points.

That is why the work we do is so important: we analyze and measure the effects of Canada’s policies to produce expert, peer-reviewed studies that move the needle on public discourse.

Here are just a couple recent examples:

The current federal government has mandated the phase-out of conventional electricity generation and accelerated the deployment of renewable energy sources.

In May, we conducted a study which examined the effects of similar policies in Europe, where governments have drastically altered the composition of Europe’s energy mix, prioritizing wind and solar power at the expense of coal and nuclear.

These renewables cannot fully support European demand for electricity due to their intermittency (i.e. wind and solar are not always available). Making matters worse, several EU countries have banned fracking, making them unable to domestically supply natural gas.

Simply put, Europe’s policies have largely prevented the region’s ability to produce the reliable and affordable energy they need, making them increasingly dependent on Russian natural gas imports.

We showed that Europe’s energy policies should serve not as inspiration, but rather as a cautionary tale of what not to do!

Again following in Europe’s footsteps, Justin Trudeau’s government has brought in a massive carbon tax which is set to rise yet again in 2023.

When the Trudeau government wrongfully claimed that their carbon tax would have “almost zero” impact on the economy, the Fraser Institute stepped up and conducted the first independent, publicly available analysis of the estimated effect of this carbon tax.

It found that, far from “almost zero” impact, the carbon tax will actually lead to fewer jobs, a decline in GDP, higher deficits, and higher energy costs… all of which many Canadians are already experiencing!

John, I think you’ll agree that the work we do is more important than ever.

Unlike so many other organizations, we do not accept government funding to conduct our research! We rely entirely on supporters like you.

If you’re able to, I’d like to ask that you make a donation today.

Every dollar you donate will help us continue informing more Canadians about the effects of government policy.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Elmira Aliakbari
Director, Natural Resource Studies
The Fraser Institute