Why are gas prices so high in Canada if we produce our own? It's complicated.

Canada, as you may know, produces a ton of oil. Billions of tons every day, actually. Nearly all the oil we use was taken from the ground, one way or another, right here. And yet! When the Strait of Hormuz shut down, the price Canadians pay for Canadian-produced oil and gas went through the roof, just as it's done in nations that need to import almost all their oil. The answer to why that happened goes back to a policy that Canada has flip-flopped on over decades. It touches on Western Alienation and separatism, the legacy of Pierre Trudeau and a system that we theoretically could change, but practically cannot. Today, Economist Jim Stanford, of the Centre For Future Work, welcomes you to the world of Canadian energy policy! Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].