In Bedtime for Bonzo, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan played the father of a chimpanzee. The 1951 film became favourite light entertainment for frustrated opponents of the B movie star as he made his way from the California governor’s mansion to the White House.

Among his many unfortunate presidential legacies, Reagan’s contribution to lowering the level of political debate and discussion stand out. He substituted catchy phrases packaged in public relations fashion as spot communication or “spots” for public conversations about political affairs. It worked, so Reagan had many imitators in this new style of political communication.

One who caught on quickly to its potential, adopted it, and then made his way to the mayor’s chair in Calgary and the premier’s office in Edmonton is to be replaced November 25 as leader of the Alberta Conservatives. Yes, Ralph Klein is retiring. The former broadcaster is signing off, after a public career of saying little of substance, serving the rich end of the oil industry with distinction, and neglecting the real needs of the regular Albertans who voted for him.

A letter writer to the Edmonton Journal pointed out that Klein was not the real Bozo (or Bonzo if you prefer). That title should be reserved for the people who voted for him. Sure. But, in an oil and gas rich jurisdiction, with an élite skimming the cream, a populist political figure can keep what is really going on under wraps. There is no need to eliminate democracy when a populist can bypass it, producing the desired results: more for those who have too much already, and who just happen to support you.

Without mentioning Klein or the Alberta Conservatives by name, how populism thrives in a resource-based economy was explained by the illustrious historian, novelist and philosopher John Ralston Saul in his keynote address at the Fall conference of the Parkland Institute at the University of Alberta, to a sold out Horowitz Theatre crowd at the Student Union Building this past Friday.

The theme of the tenth annual gathering was Power for the People: Determining our Energy Future. Few Klein supporters were in attendance, but the premier was never far from people’s minds. With each succeeding discussion, following presentations by an impressive roster of speakers, people in the audience got angrier and angrier.

Saul, a founding member of Parkland and the featured speaker at its first Fall conference, said populism succeeds by creating fear and making the exceptional look normal.

In Alberta (and it turns out Saskatchewan) people fear investment will dry up, despite massive reserves, and it is exceptional that the oil companies take a huge share of the profits. In other jurisdictions, the trend is towards national control of the precious declining resource, and taxing away excess profits. World wide, petroleum is over 80 per cent under national control.

Ole Gunnar Austvik of Norway explained what happens in his country when the world oil price goes up and extra profits occur. Norwegians reason that the oil companies should not reap all the benefits, as the oil companies did not create the price increase. Above what Norwegian policy allows in rate of return on equity for oil companies, the state share of extra profit increases to 78 per cent.

Unlike Alberta, Norway uses taxation, regulation and state participation to control the industry, and bring the development of oil services industry to the small country.

Norway puts its oil revenues in a fund that now amounts to over $230 billion (US), and takes four per cent out yearly for general revenues. In the same over-30 year period it took to grow above $200 billion in Norway, the Alberta Heritage Fund went from $11 billion to $12 billion.

Mark Lisac, well-known Edmonton author and specialist on Klein and the Conservatives talked about how the royalty regime for oil and gas had become increasingly secret over time in the province, with the Minister of Energy refusing to release studies of how revenue was being taxed. Gillian Steward, publisher of Alberta Views, explained why the newspaper business is failing to give the public what it needs to know.

Parkland research director Diana Gibson itemized how Alberta had abandoned its commitment to diversify the provincial economy. Instead, the province was preparing to export raw energy, not petrochemicals, and export bitumen (the heavy black viscous) to Chicago where it would be refined into heavy crude.

John Warnock of Regina presented his important new study for Parkland and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), Selling the Family Silver, situating the oil industry in world politics, and showing how Saskatchewan neglects to control oil companies. Warnock reminded the audience that in the 1973 run up of oil prices, Alberta under Peter Lougheed brought in a 100 per cent excess profits tax.

Parkland Director Gordon Laxer called for a national energy strategy for Canada, pointing out how the U.S. had one, and it included Canada. He related the Power for the People struggle in Ontario 100 years ago to regain control of the hydro-electricity produced by two American companies on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls that was flowing to the U.S. while Southern Ontario did without.

Laxer asked how Albertans could accept high speed tar sands development when greenhouse gas emissions were three times greater to produce a barrel of heavy crude than of conventional oil, and 75 per cent of new tar sands production was going to be exported?

As the province ran through its supplies of light crude, and became mainly a gas producer, the logic for continued gas exports to the U.S. was reduced to a NAFTA commitment to proportionally share Canada’s resources with the U.S. This calamity was analyzed in depth by John Dillon, Global Economic Justice co-ordinator for Kairos.

For Laxer, Canada needs a Canada-first energy policy, not NAFTA, to find a way “for the Eastern bastards not to freeze in the dark.” He announced Parkland was taking the lead in working out a Canadian energy conservation and security policy.

There was a sequel to Bedtime for Bonzo; in 1952, Bonzo Goes to College was released. Fittingly, in his life after politics, Ralph Klein has accepted an appointment, in Calgary, at Mount Royal College.

Duncan Cameron

Duncan Cameron

Born in Victoria B.C. in 1944, Duncan now lives in Vancouver. Following graduation from the University of Alberta he joined the Department of Finance (Ottawa) in 1966 and was financial advisor to the...