Natural gas has been a key part of the Canadian economy for many decades. It has generated strong returns for Canadian industry and governments while providing secure and affordable energy for consumers across the country. Because of the recent development of shale gas, the world in which Canada's natural gas industry operates has fundamentally changed. Public policy needs to be adapted judiciously to deal with this new reality. This report starts with a reminder of the benefits of natural gas to Canada over the past 50 years and how sound and stable public policy has ensured that the benefits have spread across the country. Driven by the emergence of shale gas, however, many expectations have been turned on their heads. Shale gas has created conditions immensely favourable to consumers, but with mixed implications for Canadian producers. As we consider the implications of this seismic shift, we need to be cautious about forecasts and keep history in mind. Above all, policymakers need to avoid reinventing the wheel or making public policy hostage to forecasts that may well prove incorrect.

We are proposing a western Canadian energy policy framework focused on realizing the economic benefits of the region's energy resources. ... As such, this paper provides a starting point for discussion among experts, stakeholders, policymakers and the public about what should be included in a policy framework aimed at realizing the economic benefits of western Canada's energy resources.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (a.k.a. the Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro in June of 1992. Rio was an important watershed in the evolution of global environmental consciousness and governance. Rio made good on the promise of the Brundtland Commission's 1987 report that outlined the idea of sustainable development. In Rio, representatives from 172 governments (including 108 heads of state/government) put the ideas from the Brundtland report into the form of both political declarations and more formal treaties that were expected to drive real change. As the world considers how to move forward on climate change, and as Canada reflects on its place in that conversation, it is an opportune time to examine the successes and failures of the previous 20 years of climate change policy.