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Published in the Hill Times, Wednesday, December 12, 2018 When resource industries are attacked, the result is less money for every province, and for the vital public services Canadians depend on. (Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs, The Hill Times, Date: 20181212) Canada’s economy is losing billions of dollars because the Liberals blocked the export pipelines Canadian oil and gas needs to reach new markets. The reality is the energy sector is booming in the United States and everywhere else, except in Canada and Venezuela. The cause is policy. The result is tens of thousands of jobs at risk in every province—on top of the 100,000 that have already been lost. This is a national economic crisis—and that’s only one part of the natural resources sector in Canada. Conservatives got pipelines approved and built: 1.2 million new barrels a day are flowing through pipelines approved and built under the previous Conservative government. Almost 500,000 new barrels a day are reaching tidewater. Despite Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi’s repeated claims the courts quashed Northern Gateway, his government was given the choice. But on Nov. 29, 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau personally announced: “The Government of Canada has directed the National Energy Board to dismiss the application for the Northern Gateway Pipeline.” That decision directly contributed to the current discount on Canadian oil—blocking the Conservative-approved export option to the Asia Pacific, which would have been in service by 2019. The Liberals killed the Energy East pipeline. Trans Canada cited “the significant changes to the regulatory process” imposed by the Liberals as the reason for halting the application—ending the export option to Europe and to bring western Canadian oil to eastern refineries. The Trans Mountain expansion remains in peril. For two years after approval, the Liberals failed to give certainty and confidence to the private company that wanted to build it. Minister Sohi claims the purchase of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline is an “investment in our energy sector.” But the expansion faces indefinite delays because the Liberals failed to follow their own consultation plan with Indigenous peoples, having rejected the opportunity to get it right with Northern Gateway and then TMX. The Liberals promised to get shovels in the ground last summer and to introduce legislation to assert federal authority over the Trans Mountain expansion. They’ve done neither. Minister Sohi refuses to put a timeline on when consultations will conclude and when construction will begin. Despite their words, the Liberals’ actions undermine Canada’s natural resources development and put Canada at a global disadvantage. The Liberals banned the export of Alberta oil from B.C.’s north coast, with no consultation or science, failed to correct the “dirty oil” propaganda when the U.S. vetoed Keystone XL, defended using Canadian tax dollars to fund TMX protesters through the Canada Summer Jobs program, cancelled the oil and gas exploration drilling tax credit, unilaterally imposed a moratorium on northern oil and gas exploration, added new immediate costs with their methane and fuel regulations, and have taken no concrete action to address the price discount, except to promote more employment insurance. The Canadian Energy Pipeline Association said the Liberals' “no more pipelines” Bill C-69 will ensure no pipeline is built in Canada again. As part of their omnibus fall budget bill, they give cabinet the power to block the shipment of oil from any Canadian coast. Their changes in Bill C-68 and Bill C-69 will significantly hinder new or expanded mining development in Canada and hydro-electric and nuclear power generation. The Liberals’ job-killing carbon tax—the only carbon tax in the top 10 oil-producing countries in the world—will raise the cost on all natural resource projects, and rural communities in particular, killing jobs in forestry, mining, as well as oil and gas. This is a national crisis, and an emergency for Canada. The wealth created in the oil and gas sector enriches every province in Canada, both directly and indirectly. Mining and forestry are the lifeblood of remote and rural communities across Canada. When these industries are attacked, the result is less money for every province, and for the vital public services Canadians depend on. Investors have taken note of the Liberals' policy direction—and they are pulling their investments, and Canadian jobs with them. Capital investment in Canada’s oil and natural gas sector has dropped by over half since 2014. Andrew Scheer and Canada’s Conservatives will repeal Bill C-69, scrap the job-killing carbon tax, and give hope to rural communities. Conservatives will establish firm timelines for pipeline approvals, invoke constitutional authority to build major projects when necessary, and eliminate foreign interference in the approvals process. The future of energy development is the most pressing domestic economic question facing Canada today. Government policy caused this mess, and it’s in the government's hands to fix it. Link to the story: https://www.hilltimes.com/2018/12/12/liberals-choosing-make-canada-not-work/180910?fbclid=IwAR2L9_rzp_Brn3lUCcAj_BWhhSjlPDQ3QGeX2vbNz5y9iUgNbBKTAzciHrg
Published in the Calgary Herald December 8, 2018 Canada's economy is losing billions of dollars because the Liberals blocked the export pipelines Canadian oil and gas needs to reach new markets. Thousands of jobs are at risk - on top of the 100,000 that have already been lost. This is a national economic crisis. Conservatives get pipelines approved: 1.2 million new barrels a day are flowing through pipelines approved and built under the previous Conservative government. Almost 500,000 new barrels a day are reaching tidewater. Justin Trudeau's messenger to Alberta, Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi, has tried to tell Albertans that Trudeau "has their back." Their actions show the opposite. On Nov. 29, 2016, Trudeau personally announced, "The government of Canada has directed the National Energy Board to dismiss the application for the Northern Gateway Pipeline." That decision directly contributed to the current discount on Canadian oil by blocking the Conservative-approved export option to Asia-Pacific markets. The Liberals killed the Energy East pipeline. Trans Canada cited "the significant changes to the regulatory process" imposed by the Liberals as the reason for halting the application, ending the export option to Europe and to bring Canadian oil to eastern refineries. The Trans Mountain expansion remains in peril. For two years after approval, the Liberals failed to give certainty and confidence to the private company they wanted to build it. Sohi claims the purchase of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline is an "investment in our energy sector." But the expansion faces indefinite delays because the Liberals failed to follow their own consultation plan with Indigenous Peoples. The Liberals promised to get shovels in the ground last summer and to introduce legislation to assert federal authority over the Trans Mountain expansion. They have done neither. Sohi refuses to put a timeline on when construction will begin. From the day they took office, the Liberals have done everything in their power to undermine Canada's oil and gas sector. This is a prime minister who said he wants to phase out Canada's oil and gas industry. He is making good on that promise. He called construction and oil workers a threat to rural communities. The Liberals banned the export of Alberta oil from B.C.'s north coast; they stood silent when the United States vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline; they failed to correct the "dirty oil" propaganda; they cancelled the oil and gas exploration drilling tax credit; they unilaterally imposed a moratorium on northern oil and gas exploration; they imposed a job-killing carbon tax - the only top 10 oil-producing country to do so; they added new costs with their methane regulations; and they voted against every single motion Conservatives put forth to kick-start pipeline construction. They passed Bill C-69 - the "no new pipelines bill" - that the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association says will ensure no pipeline is built in Canada again. As part of their omnibus fall budgetbill, they give cabinet the power to block the shipment of oil from any Canadian coast. The proof of the Liberals' failure is that the Bank is Canada predicts no new investment in oil and gas after 2019. This is a national crisis and it is a crisis for workers, families and communities. It is harming Alberta and harming Canada. For the thousands who are already out of work, and the thousands who are wondering if tomorrow will be their last day on the job, many can't help but think Justin Trudeau created this mess. Why won't he do anything to fix it? Andrew Scheer and Canada's Conservatives are fighting for energy workers and their families every single day. Conservatives will repeal Bill C-69, scrap the job-killing carbon tax and end the tanker ban. Conservatives will establish firm timelines for pipeline approvals, invoke constitutional authority to build major projects and eliminate foreign interference in the approvals process. To fix the crisis in Canada's energy sector, Conservatives need your help to defeat Justin Trudeau in 2019. Link to story: https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-liberals-have-taken-action-action-against-our-energy-sector?fbclid=IwAR3-5J9T3FLiHdmpYQ7b5dfCC8TH6VfSBAUAkgEQL6NxcDCXtKaKnyIIcfE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ottawa, ON - Shannon Stubbs, Conservative Shadow Minister for Natural Resources, released the following statement regarding the Prime Minister’s comments in Calgary: “The Prime Minister is deceiving Canadians when he says he supports Canada’s energy sector. He personally gave the order to cancel the Northern Gateway pipeline and killed the Energy East pipeline with red tape and regulations. The Prime Minister made the choice to cancel two major export pipelines– and that choice is a direct cause of the price discount on Canadian oil. “Last summer the Prime Minister promised construction would begin on the Trans Mountain Expansion when the government purchased the project. That has turned out to be false. When asked if the construction of the Trans Mountain Expansion would begin next spring, all the Prime Minister could offer was a weak, “I hope so.” This response is unacceptable after spending $4.5 billion tax dollars to buy the Trans Mountain Pipeline. “When asked about investments in Canada being cancelled as a result of his ‘no more pipelines’ Bill C-69, the Prime Minister said, quote, “I’m not really going to engage with hypotheticals right now.” The reality is that Bill C-69 will halt investment in Canada’s energy sector. Industry associations, indigenous organizations and large employers have made it clear, if C-69 goes forward, large projects will not proceed. This will cost Canada hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars a year. “The Prime Minister also stated, that “if anyone comes forward with constructive suggestions on how we can improve C-69…we are listening.” Canadian oil and gas experts and job creators have been clear: Bill C-69 needs to be cancelled or completely re-written. Just this week Total Energy Services announced they were leaving Canada after 22 years of doing business here – their CEO specifically mentioned Bill C-69 was the final straw. The fact is that the Prime Minister’s anti-energy policies are killing Canadian jobs. “The Prime Minister also deceived those in the energy sector when he said the accelerated capital costs announced in the budget will help the oil and gas sector. The Liberal mini-budget allows the manufacturing sector to write off 100% of new capital costs. However, pipelines and oil and gas equipment do not qualify for this benefit. For the energy sector, in most cases the Liberals are only allowing 15% of capital costs to be written off, and in some cases, as low as 6%. “The Prime Minister has presided over the greatest loss of investment in Canadian energy since the 1940s. So far over $100 billion has been cancelled in energy projects on Justin Trudeau’s watch. The Bank of Canada has predicted zero new investment in Canadian oil and gas after 2019. This is a direct consequence of his anti-energy policies. “The only solution to the price discount on Canadian oil, and the flight of capital from the energy sector is to defeat Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in 2019. Only a Conservative government will fix the Prime Minister’s sabotage of Canada’s oil and gas sector and bring investment back to Canada.”