Canada should be the world leader in energy markets — so why isn’t it? – by Cody Battershill (National Post – May 15, 2015)

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.

Canada is a world leader in democratic freedom, transparency, environmental protection and worker rights. So why is it not also a world leader—the supplier of choice—to energy markets all over the world, selling more oil and gas to global markets, not less?

In a number of recent third-party reports on social and economic performance, Canada ranks at or very near the top of global rankings in every category. In other words, Canada has some of the best resources– and some of the best human, social and economic policies–but it still has trouble cracking world resource markets.

These days, the real obstacles to export growth come from within Canada. The political quagmire in British Columbia surrounding LNG exports is a case in point. While we squabble inside Canada, few countries can claim Canada’s level of achievement.

Just last week, a United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network report placed Canada fifth of 158 nations based on measures such as life expectancy, per capita incomes and perceptions of corruption

Earlier in April, the Social Progress Index ranked Canada sixth of 133 countries based on 52 indicators such as crime levels, literacy and gender equality.

The Environmental Performance Index is a project of Yale and Columbia Universities that ranks how well countries perform on high-priority environmental issues in two policy areas: protection of human health from environmental harm and protection of ecosystems. Of 178 nations ranked across the planet for 2014, Canada came in at 24th, ahead of Saudi Arabia at 35th place, Venezuela at 57th, Russia at 73rd, Iran at 83rd, Nigeria 134th and Sudan at 171st.

In terms of the top ten oil reserve countries, we ranked first. These ten countries hold about 90% of the world’s oil.

On press freedom, Canada earned the highest score in North, Central and South America (and 18th out of 180 countries assessed worldwide), according to 2014 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. In terms of other oil exporters, Nigeria is 112th, Venezuela at 116th, Russia at 148th, Saudi Arabia ranks 164th, Sudan at 172nd and Iran comes in at 173rd.

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