‘It’s just an inconsistency’

He also points out the federal government bailed out the auto sector during the steep recession of 2009.

“That’s not what this country said to the auto sector when it was in crisis. It didn’t say find the money elsewhere, and it hasn’t said that historically to a company like Bombardier,” Wall says of the Montreal-based firm.

“It’s just an inconsistency. It’s as if the energy sector, frankly, doesn’t matter to this federal government as much as other sectors.”

If Ottawa wants to help, it will help push the case for new oil pipelines to the coast so petroleum producers can access export markets and get better prices for their crude, says the Saskatchewan Party leader.

“There’s still hope maybe this federal government will champion Energy East. That’s at the top of the list,” he adds.

Carr maintains Ottawa is taking a careful approach to the pipeline file and seeking to build consensus. It has reconfigured the national regulatory review process. The National Energy Board will hold greater consultations with indigenous communities and factor in climate issues on major energy developments.

“We’ve got to be able to ensure that the regulatory process itself carries the confidence of Canadians, which it hasn’t done,” says Carr.

“Or to put it another way: There were no major pipelines built between 2011 and 2015 …. We think that maybe we have to do it a little bit differently.”

Call it a philosophical dispute. Maybe it’s just irreconcilable political differences.

But a clear gulf exists over what to do next when it comes to responding to an energy industry down on its luck.