"They're not all buying Teslas"

I love how the premier of Alberta, in justifying why the oil industry needs continued support from Canada, said that the developing world still needs oil.

He said that the people of India can't all "afford to buy Teslas". This statement itself is true. But what he left out was that Tesla are not the only company making electric cars. In fact, Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors is set to introduce its popular electric car, the Ora R1 (pictured), to India. Touted as the world's cheapest electric vehicle, the Ora R1 has a starting price tag of $8,600.

But alright, I get his point. Developing countries aren't yet in the position to electrify their transportation infrastructures, although it would be easier and cheaper to do there than here. The point I think he is trying to make, is that the world still needs oil. This is also true.

But again, what he's neglecting to mention is this - the oil that the rest of the world needs is already being supplied by other countries, at a cost far less than what Canada could sell it for. China produces its own oil and gas. What they don't produce is supplied by OPEC countries. They also sell to other eastern Asian markets. India can get its oil from either the middle east, Africa or Russia, all of which would sell below our sell price. Africa is mostly self-sufficient, or will be soon. Germany gets its oil from Russia, Norway and OPEC. France's sources are OPEC, Africa and Russia. The UK's sources are Norway, OPEC and Russia.

So if we're being serious, the only real market for Canada's oil is the US. And he probably knows that it's a matter of time before the US greens their economy, as it has already started in California, Oregon, Washington and many states in the NE.

So as much as I would hope for our industry to see better days (heck, I still work in it), the question we need to be asking ourselves is, if we did manage to get product to the coasts, who exactly would we be selling to?