As I write this note, the Premier recently introduced legislation that would give the Minister of Energy sweeping powers to restrict the flow of oil and gas products to British Columbia. The Premier deserves credit for taking a stand and implementing the idea of forcing the BC government to show its cards—either back down from obstructing Kinder Morgan’s TransMoutain pipeline or allow Alberta to prioritize other markets for resources, rather than BC gas tanks.
Our caucus is supportive of many of the ways the government has responded on this file. We are not here to oppose for opposing’s sake. We will be cautious and watchful and review the choices made by the government carefully. We are also working closely with our federal partners within the Official Opposition around Bill C-69, which was introduced by Justin Trudeau to change how national pipelines are approved.
The Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) stated that the net effect of the new rules would be “an impractical and unworkable process that will create unmanageable uncertainty and a decision-making framework that will insert broader policy issues squarely into a process that is not equipped to resolve them.” Even more troubling, CEPA went on to tell the committee that it would be “difficult to imagine that a new major pipeline could be built in Canada under …” these new rules.
We are pushing the Government of Alberta to come out strongly against this new pile of red tape that threatens to hurt our already recovering oil and gas industry. We are disappointed that the Premier rejected our request to have a debate on the matter. Canada only succeeds if Alberta succeeds. We need to push back in the strongest possible terms against these continued attacks on our oil and gas industry.
I welcome your feedback and ideas on how we can continue to support and advocate for the oil and gas industry in the Legislature. I can be reached at [email protected].
Mike Ellis, MLA
Calgary-West
