Remembering the National Energy Program - 1

I was going through some archives on the CBC and came across a page on "Striking Oil in Alberta". There are some interesting radio clips on this page dating back to the implementation of the NEP in the fall of 1980.

I have made a recording of a couple of the most relevant clips. The first aired on the CBC on October 31, 1980, just after the 1980 budget when the NEP was introduced. It has two parts: (i) Pierre Trudeau responding in the House of Commons to Peter Lougheed's announcement of Alberta's intention to impose retaliatory sanctions, and (ii) Alberta Liberal Senator Bud Olsen being interviewed by Barbara Frum. During the interview, Olsen denies that the NEP was about Eastern Canada taking control of Alberta's resources, and was simply an effort to ensure the East got its "fair share". The clip of Olsen is a testament to the quisling character of Alberta Liberals:



Evidently, Olsen is too stupid to understand that if the Federal Government can unilaterally implement a vast new array of taxes and regulation on Alberta's oil industry, it effectively has complete control.

The second clip aired on November 2, 1980, and features a recording of Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed announcing the cuts to oil production. It also contains some calls from angry Alberta residents over the implementation of the NEP:



I'll post on the NEP again, as I come across further information.