The federal government keeps talking — but Canadians are still waiting for action.
The Grey Cup has come and gone. So, too, has Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s deadline for Prime Minister Mark Carney to get on board with a west coast pipeline.
When Carney announced his first raft of major projects back in September, Smith didn’t lament the fact that a pipeline didn’t make the cut.
Instead, she said there were ongoing and positive discussions her office was having with Carney’s, and that she hoped to see an announcement from the federal government ahead of the Grey Cup.
Well, Carney did announce a new list of pipeline projects last week ahead of the Grey Cup — but once again, a pipeline wasn’t on it.
Still, Smith continues to project an optimistic outlook.
“Currently, we are working on a (memorandum of understanding) agreement with the federal government that includes the removal, carve out or overhaul of several damaging laws chasing away private investment in our energy sector, and an agreement to work towards ultimate approval of a bitumen pipeline to Asian markets,” Smith said in a statement released last week.
But Canadians who see oil and gas as key to Canada’s economic future are rightly wondering: is Carney just stringing Smith — and Canadians — along?
Carney has been the Prime Minister since March. He won his mandate from Canadian voters back in April. The Major Projects Office, headquartered in Calgary, was established several months ago.
Carney also passed the One Canadian Economy Act, which allows the federal government to override many of the damaging laws Smith referenced, back in June.
So it’s fair to ask: what’s the hold up?
When asked if his government was going to prioritize a pipeline, Carney told a Canadian Club audience the topic was “boring.”
For a man who says he wants to reduce Canada’s reliance on the United States — which is exactly what a bitumen pipeline to Asian markets would accomplish — Carney isn’t acting very serious about it.
Carney has also repeatedly downplayed the negative impact of laws like the emissions cap and west coast tanker ban on private-sector investment in the oil sands.
But this, again, is poppycock.
TC Energy CEO François Poirier, whose company recently announced it would invest billions in expanding pipeline and infrastructure capacity in the United States, explained clearly why the investment isn’t being made here.
“Canada’s current regulatory process is too complex, too subjective and too long,” Poirier said. “It lacks the speed and predictability required for investor confidence, delaying critical projects that would serve Canada’s interests.”
Carney clearly has his head in the sand. These laws are having a major negative impact on private-sector investment in Canada’s oil and gas sector.
And the One Canadian Economy Act — which selectively allows certain laws to be overridden at the request of the federal government — still leaves too much uncertainty. If Ottawa is unwilling to use it, it becomes nothing more than a paper tiger.
It’s time for Carney to put his cards on the table. The Alberta government, private-sector investors, and Canadians deserve the truth.
Is the federal government ever going to approve a new bitumen pipeline to the west coast? Will the Carney government tackle the regulatory gridlock that TC Energy and others have identified as a barrier to investment? Does Carney even care about the future development of Canada’s oil sands?
Canadians deserve an answer.
And every time Carney announces a new batch of “major national projects” that doesn’t include a pipeline, his credibility diminishes. Some of the projects are worthwhile. Others are simply reannouncements. But when “major” is in the title, Canadians should reasonably expect more than a list of projects that appears to favour specific provincial governments.
On energy, it’s time for Carney to stop dancing around and speak the truth. Canadians deserve nothing less.
Originally published here
