Keystone victory ‘inevitable,’ prime minister maintains
OTTAWA — Stephen Harper is convinced that history and economics carry far more weight in Canada-U.S. relations than whoever happens to occupy the White House at a given moment.
That’s why the prime minister remains relatively unperturbed about the drawn-out Keystone XL pipeline review, maintaining its approval is “inevitable.”
In a wide-ranging interview on energy policy last month, Harper described how historical and economic forces and broad-based support for resource development determine whether projects like Keystone get built, rather than short-term political calculations. If Barack Obama doesn’t approve the pipeline, another president will.
“It is, in my judgment, a necessary and inevitable victory,” Harper said in the interview. “I absolutely believe that. I can’t see how it will be otherwise.”
Harper has been openly critical of Obama for repeatedly “punting” on Keystone.
Harper’s energy policy is informed by convictions that global demand for oil is surpassing supply, market forces override politics and the western world would rather buy energy from stable democracies like Canada.
The U.S. State Department’s environmental assessment of Keystone, released Jan. 31, sets the stage for possible further disagreement over Keystone XL between Obama and Harper, who are scheduled to see each other in Mexico next week as part of a trilateral meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
Obama portrays any Keystone outcome as the product of a review with many inputs, its conclusion anything but inevitable.