Canada’s Conservatives issue statement on Trans Mountain Expansion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, ON – Shannon Stubbs, Conservative Shadow Minister for Natural Resources, and Cathy McLeod, Conservative Shadow Minister for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, today released the following statement in response to the government’s announcement regarding the Trans Mountain Expansion:
“Today, the Liberals once again failed Canadian workers and their families and many Indigenous communities. Getting the Trans Mountain Expansion built should be Justin Trudeau’s top priority. But instead, he spent $4.5 billion of taxpayers’ money and still can’t tell workers when construction will start or when this important project will be completed. Canadian families cannot wait until next year for a plan. For the workers and communities affected by Justin Trudeau’s failure, every day counts.
“The Federal Court of Appeal gave the Liberals clear directions to address their failure to properly consult with Indigenous communities. But instead of following those directions, the government announced they will launch another process, with no timeline, that will only further delay construction. That is absolutely unacceptable.
“The Trans Mountain Expansion is crucial to oil and gas workers across Canada and to the regional economies that stand to benefit from its expansion, including the 43 First Nation communities that have benefit agreements worth $400 million which now hang in the balance.
“Thousands of workers have lost their jobs because of Justin Trudeau’s failure. The Prime Minister has a responsibility to use every available tool at his disposal to get the Trans Mountain Expansion built.
“Canada’s Conservatives have a plan to get Trans Mountain built and to reverse Justin Trudeau’s damaging anti-energy policies and make Canada an attractive and competitive place for energy investment. An Andrew Scheer Government will fix the mess that the Liberals have made, restore investor confidence and get Canadians back to work.”