Pipelines mean jobs for Quebec
Line 9 reversal keeps refinery open: Suncor
The head of Montreal’s Board of Trade joined with Suncor CEO Steve Williams on Tuesday to urge co-operation between Quebec and Alberta on energy issues, including proposed pipeline projects like Enbridge’s Line 9 reversal and TransCanada’s Energy East.
Michel Leblanc, CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, said he is “very, very confident” that both projects will go ahead — in spite of the fact the Line 9 regulatory hearings have been interrupted by protesters in Montreal and the Energy East proposal has not yet been endorsed by Premier Pauline Marois.
“There’s a recognition that we consume oil, we need oil, and it won’t just appear overnight, so we need to have access,” Leblanc told reporters following a speech at the Fairmont Palliser hotel in Calgary.
Williams said market access is key to the future prosperity of Alberta’s energy sector, and he wishes all Canadians would view Alberta’s natural resources as belonging to the country — not just one province. According to the Canadian Energy Research Institute, new oilsands development over the next 25 years is expected to contribute $783 billion in provincial and federal taxes and royalties. The industry is expected to contribute $14 billion to the Quebec economy alone.
If the Line 9 reversal goes ahead and the pipeline begins carrying western crude east to Quebec, Williams added, it will secure a long-term future for Suncor’s Montreal refinery. The 137,000 barrel per day facility employs 500 full-time workers.
“First thing it does, it (the Line 9 reversal) protects all those jobs. It retains the highquality jobs that are there,” he said. “And certainly, the probability is that we will invest in the refinery and then there will be more opportunities there.”
But while Leblanc said he is convinced development of Alberta’s energy resources will ultimately benefit Quebeckers, he said both industry and government need to do a better job of communicating that fact. He said Quebec doesn’t have Alberta’s years of experience with the oil and gas industry, so it’s not surprising the public has questions.
“When we had this debate provincially about natural gas and fracking in Quebec, we had a population that was completely ignorant of natural gas and natural gas pricing, because we don’t have a history with that,” Leblanc said. “And the industry, government officials, public servants — were they able to assure the public and answer their questions? They did not.”
Ultimately, Leblanc said, Alberta needs to work with pro-business voices in Quebec to educate the public about the role of energy in the Canadian economy.
“There has to be an understanding ... that Quebec is not just a platform for exporting oil, that it will be a place where economic activities will happen (as a result),” Leblanc said. “And I think that’s what will get the public support.”
Leblanc and Williams spoke at an Alberta Enterprise Group (AEG) luncheon that was meant to be the centrepiece of a two-day mission of Quebec business leaders to Alberta. The visit, called Rendezvous Alberta, comes one year after AEG led a delegation of Alberta companies to Quebec to promote freer trade between the provinces. The Quebec-Alberta trade relationship is valued at $14 billion annually.