Justin Trudeau is failing Canada’s energy industry and Canadian workers

Canada’s Prime Minister needs to champion Canadian energy, which produces the most environmentally and socially responsible oil and gas in the world, and recognize that the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Canadians depend on our energy sector.  This important industry benefits every community across the country and provides billions of dollars in revenue for social programs.  But just last year Prime Minister Trudeau said that the oil sands must be “phased out.”

Prime Minister Trudeau is failing Canada’s energy industry and Canadian workers.  Since the Liberals took office, more than 110,000 energy workers have lost their jobs and Alberta saw its highest unemployment rate in 20 years.  The Prime Minister vetoed the approved Northern Gateway pipeline and killed the Energy East pipeline with last minute rule changes and a double standard that doesn’t apply to any other sector or to foreign oil imports. Now the Trans Mountain pipeline is at risk because of his total lack of leadership.

The reality is that Prime Minister Trudeau has presided over the biggest decline in Canadian energy investment in 70 years – a loss of $80 billion – and his political decisions have thrown roadblock after roadblock in the way of Canadian energy, risking good paying jobs, billions of dollars in investment and new infrastructure, future economic opportunities, and Canada’s leadership position on the world stage.

I sincerely hope that the Prime Minister finally learns about the incredible innovation, significant advances in environmental stewardship, and the many partnerships with Indigenous communities, like the Mikisew Cree and the Fort McKay First Nations, that have enabled the development of the oil sands, which has long been a major driver of job creation and government revenue, benefitting all of Canada.

Responsible natural resource development is integral to Canada’s prosperity and high standard of living. Energy is the number one private sector investor in the Canadian economy, and it’s Canada’s second biggest export.  But by allowing western oil and gas to remain land locked, Prime Minister Trudeau is putting Canada at a serious competitive disadvantage.

The Prime Minister needs to listen to Suncor Energy Inc. president and CEO Steve Williams who recently said that “the cumulative impact of regulation and higher taxation than other jurisdictions is making Canada a more difficult jurisdiction to allocate capital in.”  The Prime Minister should be alarmed that Suncor, Canada’s leading integrated oil and gas company and a pioneer in the oil sands, is warning about the major consequences of the Liberals’ taxes hikes and new regulatory burdens.

As a proud Albertan, I want our province to be a hub for job creation, for investment, and for ingenuity, for the benefit of all of Canada. But that takes real leadership.  Canadians can count on Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives to keep fighting for resource development, and for the jobs and opportunities it creates.

SHANNON STUBBS

Lakeland MP, Conservative Shadow Minister for Natural Resources

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