BY BOB ZIMMER
Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP
There’s no denying that the Liberal government’s anti-energy policies and legislation have ruined Canada’s reputation as a stable, fair, predictable destination for energy investment.
More than 115,000 oil and gas jobs have already been lost under this government, and another 12,500 are expected to be lost this year.
We’ve become a country of ‘no’, and it’s our resource sector workers who are paying the price.
In a recent speech Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer outlined how a Conservative government would return Canada to a country of ‘yes’.
It includes cancelling the federal carbon tax, repealing anti-pipeline Bill C-69, ending the ban on shipping traffic in British Columbia, establishing clear timelines for regulatory approvals, banning foreign funded advocacy groups from using the approval process to block energy projects, and asserting federal jurisdiction when necessary.
Also announced was Mr. Scheer’s intention to pursue an energy corridor as prime minister, an idea that I have strongly supported for many years.
Establishing an energy corridor would mean new projects wouldn’t have to always start at the beginning of the review process. Consultations with Indigenous Canadians, provinces and municipalities would have already taken place and any questions related to environmental issues would have been dealt with.
This would mean new projects would be able to get started faster, with minimal environmental impact, and would allow for more certainty in the energy sector.
An energy corridor would also help our country move towards becoming energy independent. We have more than enough oil – not only to displace imports from rogue states – but to put an end to all foreign oil imports once and for all.
Canada’s energy sector produces some of the most environmentally and socially responsible oil and gas in the world. It is time we stand firmly behind our energy workers and their families.
This is also part of Mr. Scheer’s vision: A Canada fuelled exclusively by Canadians by 2030.
I’m proud to be part of a team that puts Canada and the environmental and economic interests of Canadians first and I look forward to working with Mr. Scheer to implement these important initiatives.