Shannon Stubbs Gives Failing Grade to Natural Resources Mandate Letter
Shannon Stubbs, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Lakeland and Shadow Minister for Natural Resources responded to the Mandate Letter from Prime Minister Trudeau to his new Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan:
“This mandate letter gives no assurance that Prime Minister Trudeau will take concrete action to change direction, listen to the concerns of Western Canadians and work to unite our nation. Canada faces a national unity and economic crisis because of the Liberals’ anti-energy, anti-business, anti-natural resource development legislation, polices and regulations that intervene in, and undermine provincial jurisdiction. The proof of this reality is in the flood of capital leaving Canada’s natural resource sector, resulting in hundreds of thousands of Canadians losing their jobs under these Liberals.
“There is no mention in this Mandate Letter of reversing the damaging changes to the project review process implemented by the Liberals’ ‘anti-energy, anti-business’ Bill C-69. Every single Premier from every province and territory demands a legislative overhaul of its potential devastating economic impact for all provinces across all natural resource sectors. This mandate letter includes further commitments to new regulations, royalty frameworks, taxes and cost increases that will cause further uncertainty for new projects – compounding the damage from Bill C-69.
“There is no commitment to repeal the Liberal oil shipping ban Bill C-48 that discriminates against, and blocks, only the export of Western Canadian oil. This shipping ban is opposed by hundreds of Indigenous communities and Indigenous-owned businesses represented by the Indigenous Resource Council, and the Lax Kw'alaams band have filed a court challenge against Bill C-48 because it effectively prohibits the development of land in their traditional territory without any consultation or accommodation.
“This Liberal government is incrementally and systematically dismantling economic development in rural Canada, which will have profoundly negative consequences for urban Canadians, communities in every region, and government revenues at all levels and in all provinces and territories, affecting Canadians’ standard of living and the economy overall. The Liberals talk of haphazardly and rapidly ‘transitioning’ workers to a ‘global’ low-carbon economy is not grounded in reality. Demand for oil and gas will continue to increase for decades. There is no scenario where the world transitions away from carbon fuels in our lifetime. What the Liberals are proposing is to destroy resource industries across rural Canada with taxes, red-tape and project approval uncertainty – which will move global investment to mines, mills and projects in countries with terrible human rights and environmental standards. The historic flight of capital that’s already taken place under the Liberals is also a brain-drain on Canada – when investment moves to other more competitive jurisdictions, it takes R & D, new technology and innovation, and Canada’s brightest minds with it. This is not a plan to address global environmental challenges – and it is not a plan to help Canada’s struggling middle class.
“Prime Minister Trudeau said on election night, to “Canadians in Alberta and Saskatchewan, know that you are an essential part of our great country. I’ve heard your frustration and I want to be there to support you. Let us all work hard to bring our country together.” If the Prime Minister is serious about his promise on election night, he will provide his Natural Resources Minister with a new Mandate Letter that includes commitments to repeal the Liberal oil shipping ban Bill C-48 and to overhaul the Liberals’ anti-energy, anti-business Bill C-69. He will also immediately and consistently champion the necessity and contribution of a thriving Canadian energy sector to every community and province. He will immediately take concrete measures to restore competitiveness and attract investment to the Canadian oil and gas sector, which underpins the entire economy as Canada’s largest private sector investor and export.