Canadian energy ministers to Michigan: We’re standing up for Line 5

The heating of Canadian homes, the flying of Canadian jets, the operation of Canadian refineries, the jobs of Canadian workers, and the protection of our environment are non-negotiable.

Canada and its provinces are defending our energy security, our jobs, our environment, and our economic prosperity.

The Government of Canada, with the support of the Governments of Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan,

has filed an amicus curiae brief in the ongoing court proceedings in the U.S District Court for the Western District of Michigan in support of Line 5.

We’re pursuing a Team Canada approach in support of Line 5 — across party lines as well as with labour and the building trades — that leaves no stone unturned. Together we’re looking at all our options and stand ready with more at our disposal.

We remain hopeful Enbridge and the State of Michigan will be able to find a local solution — one that maintains energy security for both Canada and the United States.

Protecting the environment and our waterways is of international importance. This is especially true of the Great Lakes, which we have long worked in partnership with the United States to protect through the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the International Joint Commission.

Line 5 has safely and reliably delivered energy to the

Great Lakes Region for 68 years, with no spill incidents in the Straits of Mackinac.

Of course, infrastructure is something that requires continuous improvement and Line 5 is no exception.

Enbridge has taken several steps to improve the safety of Line 5 over the years, including having highly trained staff monitor the line on a 24/7 basis, using sophisticated monitoring systems.

The Great Lakes Tunnel Project makes this safe pipeline even safer: Enbridge will replace Line 5 with a pipeline housed in a concrete tunnel buried under the lake bed. It’s a project designed to enhance protection for the Great Lakes — precisely what Michigan is seeking.

The proud oil and gas workers who built this country have faced a challenging number of years and have grappled with a pandemic that changed everything, a global price war, and now uncertainty over supply chains and delivery systems.

Line 5 is a critical energy link between Canada and the U.S. Demand for the over 540,000 barrels of oil per day it transports won’t just disappear if the pipeline is shut down. The energy products will still get to market, but they will need to be on rail, on truck, and marine transport. These options are less safe, higher emitting, and more expensive.

Enbridge’s Line 5 is the safest, lowest-emitting, and most cost-effective way to get our energy products to market. We are united in ensuring its continued safe operation.

LINE 5 HAS RELIABLY DELIVERED ENERGY TO THE GREAT LAKES REGION FOR 68 YEARS.

Special to National Post Seamus O’regan is Canada’s natural resources minister, Sonya Savage is Alberta’s minister of energy, Bronwyn Eyre is minister of energy and resources for Saskatchewan and Greg Rickford is Ontario’s minister of energy, northern development and mines.