Milton Friedman said: “Entrust management of the desert to the state, and in five years there will be a shortage of sand.”
By squandering electricity surpluses, and declaring that he had been “taken by surprise” by the emerging shortage due to poor planning of industrial projects, the Minister of the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, demonstrated that Friedman was right !
Now, the “superminister” accuses Quebec households of wasting electricity and promotes “energy sobriety”.
Poverty
It took humans thousands of years to protect themselves from the rigors of nature and the elements in order to live comfortably regardless of the outside temperature.
But there, in a surreal movement of apology for poverty, we are witnessing an effort to delegitimize our way of life. Because, under the noble term “sobriety”, it is in fact poverty that is glorified.
To justify his call for deprivation, Mr. Fitzgibbon accuses Quebecers of being “last in class” in terms of electricity consumption. But “last” according to what criteria exactly? And can he prove his accusations with a vengeance?
In contrast, while no household leaves its lights on all night, the state lights and heats its office towers even when they are empty. However, we are the ones who are made to feel guilty for turning down the heat and doing household chores at midnight!
Sacrifices
Note also that it is Mr. Fitzgibbon who wants two million electric vehicles, who invites the most energy-intensive foreign industries, and who sells off our electricity to large industrial users at an average cost of 4.04 cents/kWh (after rebates of 20%) while the residential rate reaches 8.48 cents.
But obviously, it is the unfortunate dishwasher, which represents 0.5% of total demand, which poses an existential problem!
Mr Fitzgibbon is asking for sacrifices? So, let’s start by sacrificing the Minister of the Economy!