Another solid argument for a tightened partnership is Canada’s “ethical Oil”, which would potentially suffer under Obama, but develop under Romney. During the debate Romney took aim at Obama for picking “losers” in the energy sector while turning his back on American fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Romney mentioned the $90 billion that taxpayers were forced to pay — directed at funding wind, solar and other renewable-energy projects in the form of green energy — initiatives which included some high-profile failures, such as the now-bankrupt solar-panel maker Solyndra LLC.
Romney’s plan for energy independence is an offer to heal a Canada-U.S. rift, and promote jobs, freedom, and American security — as well as to reduce dependence upon Middle East oil. His strategy involves the U.S. approving the Keystone XL pipeline to carry Alberta oil to the U.S. Gulf Coast, as well as to lay additional pipelines to promote Canadian oil exports to the U.S. Both ideas have twice been rejected by Obama, whose aversion, prompted by the environmental movement, toward the oil sands, has resulted in Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper courting markets in Asia, particularly China.
As world leaders prepared to discuss climate change last year, Canada’s Minister of the Environment, Peter Kent, put proponents of the duplicitous Kyoto Treaty in their place. He robustly defended the Alberta oil sands in his argument of an “ethical'” and reliable energy source compared to continued reliance on Mid-east oil, and declared that he was not about to sign to any deals that mandated some countries reducing greenhouse gas emissions while others did not.
Foreign Affairs policy will be the focus of the October 22nd debate between Romney and Obama. U.S. intelligence agencies under the current administration have been praised in efforts to find and kill Osama bin Laden, but the War on Terror continues , as on display most recently in Libya, Yemen and Pakistan. It is current U.S. policy in the Middle East that needs a clear and resolute “reset” in the administration’s mishandling of foreign policy; not Russia.
Romney’s address, “The Mantle of Leadership,” to the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia unveiled a foreign policy that included a mandate to restore America to a position of global leadership. He referred to the struggle now shaking the entire Middle East, and the strained relationship between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and he accused Obama of emboldening Western adversaries, especially Iran. He said that to prevent war, America needs confidence in its cause, clarity of purpose, resolve of might and a strong military.
According to a Wall Street Journal article, Obama has allowed America’s leadership to atrophy: the economy is stuck in a “recovery;” a national debt has risen to record levels; the military is facing devastating cuts, and America’s values have been misapplied by a president who believes that weakness will win favor with America’s adversaries. Concerning Israel, Romney accused Obama of recently sending a clear diplomatic message by downgrading Israel from being America’s “closest ally” in the Middle East to being only “one of our closest allies,” while dismissing Israel’s concerns about Iran as mere “noise” that he prefers to “block out,” and declining to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Romney has warned that we need leaders who understand that keeping the peace requires American strength and steadfastness especially the kind that earned Canadian Prime Minister Harper the World Statesman award; in his acceptance speech, Harper did not hold back on supporting Israel or slamming Iran.
Conservative economic and foreign affairs policies have proven to be stabilizing to Canada in the midst of a global economic meltdown. Harper managed to shift Canada to the right and win a surprising majority. He gradually lowered sales and corporate taxes, outperformed other democracies, recovered lost jobs, stabilized the banking sector, avoided climate change legislation, increased military spending and extended Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan. A strong, united continent, governed by policies that work in the face of economic woes, rising Islamism, and the threat of terror against Israel and the West, is both our best defense and our best offense.
Originally published by the Gatestone Institute. David Cravit, author of Beyond Age Rage, also contributed to this article.