Liberals undermine oil and gas sector
They have taken action — against the industry, writes Shannon Stubbs.
Canada’s economy is losing billions of dollars because the Liberals blocked the export pipelines Canadian oil and gas needs to reach new markets. Thousands of jobs are at risk — on top of the 100,000 that have already been lost. This is a national economic crisis.
Conservatives get pipelines approved: 1.2 million new barrels a day are flowing through pipelines approved and built under the previous Conservative government. Almost 500,000 new barrels a day are reaching tidewater.
Justin Trudeau’s messenger to Alberta, Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi, has tried to tell Albertans that Trudeau “has their back.” Their actions show the opposite.
On Nov. 29, 2016, Trudeau personally announced, “The government of Canada has directed the National Energy Board to dismiss the application for the Northern Gateway Pipeline.” That decision directly contributed to the current discount on Canadian oil by blocking the Conservative-approved export option to Asia-Pacific markets.
The Liberals killed the Energy East pipeline. Trans Canada cited “the significant changes to the regulatory process” imposed by the Liberals as the reason for halting the application.
The Trans Mountain expansion remains in peril. For two years after approval, the Liberals failed to give certainty and confidence to the private company they wanted to build it. Sohi claims the purchase of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline is an “investment in our energy sector.” But the expansion faces indefinite delays because the Liberals failed to follow their own consultation plan with Indigenous Peoples. The Liberals promised to get shovels in the ground last summer and to introduce legislation to assert federal authority over the Trans Mountain expansion. They have done neither. Sohi refuses to put a timeline on when construction will begin.
From the day they took office, the Liberals have done everything in their power to undermine Canada’s oil and gas sector.
This is a prime minister who said he wants to phase out Canada’s oil and gas industry. He is making good on that promise. He called construction and oil workers a threat to rural communities.
The Liberals banned the export of Alberta oil from B.C.’s north coast; they stood silent when the United States vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline; they failed to correct the “dirty oil” propaganda; they cancelled the oil and gas exploration drilling tax credit; they unilaterally imposed a moratorium on northern oil and gas exploration; they imposed a job-killing carbon tax — the only top 10 oil-producing country to do so; they added new costs with their methane regulations; and they voted against every single motion Conservatives put forth to kick-start pipeline construction.
They passed Bill C-69 — the “no new pipelines bill” — that the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association says will ensure no pipeline is built in Canada again. As part of their omnibus fall budget bill, they give cabinet the power to block the shipment of oil from any Canadian coast.
This is a national crisis and it is a crisis for workers, families and communities. It is harming Alberta and harming Canada. For the thousands who are already out of work, and the thousands who are wondering if tomorrow will be their last day on the job, many can’t help but think Justin Trudeau created this mess. Why won’t he do anything to fix it?
Andrew Scheer and Canada’s Conservatives are fighting for energy workers and their families every single day. Conservatives will repeal Bill C-69, scrap the job-killing carbon tax and end the tanker ban.
Conservatives will establish firm timelines for pipeline approvals, invoke constitutional authority to build major projects and eliminate foreign interference in the approvals process.
To fix the crisis in Canada’s energy sector, Conservatives need your help to defeat Justin Trudeau in 2019.