‘The time to build is now’

re-iterating that it supports pipelines like Trans Mountain because “there is a well-organized opposition of well-funded activists out of the U.S. to keep Canada boxed in.”

McMillan said Canada has become an outlier on climate policy because no one is following its lead among major energy producers.

“When it comes to a price on carbon … we really stand alone,” he said. “If you look at the world’s top ten energy producers, none of them have a price on carbon … If we put policies here that are so inconsistent with our competitors, we will achieve nothing other than loss of jobs and investment in Canada, only to see that production increase in Iran and Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. We are not talking about what could happen, we are talking about what is happening.”

Policies based on the assumption that the world will use less oil and gas in the future are “irresponsible, because no credible organization is putting forward a model that sees anything other than a substantial growth,” he said.

The International Energy Agency forecasts that oil and natural gas will continue to make up the largest part of the total energy mix with increased urbanization and population growth, accounting for 52 per cent of the total energy demand by 2040, and Canada should positioning itself as the supplier of choice because of its higher environmental standards, he said.

Canada can still be back as an environmental leader, just do what’s best for its economy. will get built will not get this pipeline built,” he said.

In an interview with the National Observer on Feb. 14, Trudeau accused premier Horgan of attempting to “scuttle our national plan on fighting climate change” by blocking the project.

Environmental groups, and some political parties, have long opposed major pipeline developments in Canada by tying them up in the courts, setting back construction timelines and sapping investor confidence.

“The strategy they’ve landed on is to talk the project to death,” Black said.