Ottawa, ON – Shannon Stubbs, Conservative Shadow Minister for Energy and Natural Resources, released the following statement in response to the G7 Leaders’ statement on geopolitical issues:
“Today, under Mark Carney, Canada is more than a decade behind on major private sector nation-building projects and energy production growth that could provide Canadian domestic energy security and fuel the world to break Canadian allies’ dependence on oil and gas from dictators and hostile regimes.
“Instead of being a predictable, reliable, trusted supplier of responsibly produced energy to the world – for national security and to help lower emissions globally – the Liberals have instead politicized and blocked new projects through constant interference, uncertainty, uncompetitive taxes, bans and mandates, and deliberate death by delay.
“These Liberals brought in the unconstitutional, anti-development never-build-anything-anywhere Bill C-69, the Shipping Ban Bill C-48 that blocks expanded exports and therefore limits production, and the Unjust Transition Bill C-50 that will kill 170,000 jobs in oil and gas, and 1.4 million trades jobs because its whole purpose is to ‘transition’ oil and gas jobs out of Canada.
“The Liberals also impose the federal industrial carbon tax – which neither the United States nor any other major oil-producing nation inflicts on its businesses – and Clean Fuel Regulations that drive up the cost of fuel, machinery and equipment for already struggling Canadians and small and medium-sized businesses.
“Through interference, added conditions and delay, the Liberals killed the west-to-east pipeline that would’ve shipped western Canadian oil to eastern refineries for Canadian use and for export to Europe, and killed the Northern Gateway Pipeline that would’ve fueled Canada’s allies in Asia and contributed $300 billion in just 30 years to Canada’s economy, and others like the GNL Quebec, supported by the local Saguenay community, project and the Teck Frontier Mine.
“Instead of reversing or reforming the laws, policies, and regulations that the Liberals admit block construction of major national projects when they listed them all in Bill C-5, with the rationale it could work around them to fast-track projects. The Prime Minister keeps in place the very same leave-it-in-the-ground laws that have choked Canadian energy development, an agenda he advised former Prime Minister Trudeau to implement, consistent with his values and positions before getting elected in Canada.
“If Carney truly wants to live up to his promise to make Canada an ‘energy superpower’ and to export Canadian energy around the world for national and geopolitical security, he must listen to what industry leaders, pipeline and producer proponents, economists, and provincial and territorial leaders tell him in ever growing numbers, which is to immediately bring in a legislative and regulatory repeal and reform agenda of the anti-development Liberal laws that block building and to get out of the way.
“After more than a year, the Liberals haven’t changed any of those anti-development laws and regulations they themselves said they would, and he continues to landlock and isolate Canada, home to the most important resources and innovation that the world wants and needs.
“While Carney talks a big game as he tours the world on lavish taxpayer-funded trips, Canadians have yet to see concrete policy action that delivers actual results here at home. Conservatives will keep pushing for action that delivers energy security, resilience and affordability, and national and economic unity, through the repeal and reform of anti-development and anti-energy Liberal laws, red tape, bans and taxes to unlock Canada’s energy and resources competitively and urgently, with good-paying jobs for Canadians and important revenue for all levels of government.
“Canada should be the global supplier of choice with additional capacity of Canadian energy to unleash Canada’s economy and fuel Canada’s allies with an Energy and Critical Minerals Reserve, to ensure Canada is strong at home for unbreakable leverage abroad.”