Oil and gas producers are calling on Prime Minister-elect Mark Carney to make good on his promise to make Canada into an “energy superpower” on the world stage.
Carney vowed to position Canada as a “world energy superpower” along the campaign trail and endorsed building pipelines during the federal leaders debate.
Following the Liberals winning the election Monday night to form a minority government, members of the energy sector say they’re “ready to work” with the newly elected prime minister.
“Canada’s oil and natural gas industry is ready to work with Prime Minister Carney to support his goal of making Canada a global energy superpower,” said Lisa Baiton, the president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers in a statement Tuesday.
Baiton congratulated Carney on the Liberal victory and stressed their opportunity to “rejuvenate the economy and its approach to natural resource development.”
“Developing our world-class oil and natural gas resources to their full potential by growing our exports to international markets will strengthen our energy security and economic sovereignty,” wrote Baiton.
President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors Mark Scholz, expressed his optimism for Canada’s energy sector after the debates displayed a renewed interest and “historic shift” in the country’s energy industry.
“Both leading parties recognized the urgent need to expand oil and gas development, secure Canada’s energy and economic strength, and build critical infrastructure to counter rising global uncertainty and protectionism from our largest trading partner, the United States,” said Scholz in a statement.
Carney promised during the campaign that his government would establish a major federal project office with a clear mandate to expedite pipeline projects after a single approved review within two years instead of five.
The Business Council of Alberta said it hopes the Carney government can follow a “pragmatic” economic agenda which will allow the province to attain its “full potential.”
“These include building trade infrastructure, advancing a pragmatic approach to climate and energy, unlocking the potential of our workforce and natural resources and restoring Canada’s competitiveness on the global stage – all are actions that can, and should, begin immediately,” the BCA said in a statement.
The council also sent Carney a list of policy recommendations to achieve their goals.
The sole Liberal candidate to be elected in Calgary, Corey Hogan, said he plans to bring his background in the energy sector into the conversation as an MP.
“We want to make sure that the policy intent of the government is well understood by industry and industry’s concerns are well understood by government,” said Hogan.
“There wasn’t a major pipeline project in the past 15 years that I wasn’t a part of – I was involved in Northern Gateway, Energy East, TMX and KXL to a lesser extent. With that first-hand knowledge, I can speak to both sides and we can bridge that gap a bit.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith congratulated Carney on Tuesday but warned that Alberta would not accept a continuation of past federal hostility, saying Albertans’ patience had run out.
“As premier, I will not permit the status quo to continue. Albertans are proud Canadians that want this nation to be strong, prosperous, and united, but we will no longer tolerate having our industries threatened and our resources landlocked by Ottawa,” Smith said in a statement Tuesday.