Energy investment and blockades

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By Martin Shields Member of Parliament Bow River Riding

This past week in Ottawa, Conservatives demanded an emergency debate on Teck Resources’ decision to pull the plug on their proposed oilsands project.
I think “emergency” is the right word. Canada has already missed out on over $100 billion in energy investment, and the Teck decision was just further proof that investment in this country is becoming impossible. Teck cited Canada’s political situation as the reason the project could not proceed. I believe they knew the Liberals were planning to reject their proposal and didn’t bother waiting for confirmation.
The Prime Minister will blame everyone but himself, but this project was sitting on his desk since last July. His inaction has emboldened extreme anti-energy activists across the country. When you let radical activists shut down the rail network and anti-energy activists write your environment policies, investors tend to get the hint.
The blockades have shut down rail networks and, as of the time I’m writing this, led to more than 1,500 job losses and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to Canada’s economy. This situation is particularly damaging for our ag sector. Every day these blockades are in place costs Canadian grain farmers $9 million. On March 15, Canadian grain farmers who took money out on the advance payment program through Farm Credit Canada must start paying those loans back at 19 per cent if they miss that deadline. How are grain farmers supposed to meet that deadline if they can’t move their product? We need answers from the government on the consequences of their failure to stop the blockades.
Every single person in this country has the right to freedom of speech and the freedom to protest – but not the right to shut down our economy. Many of these radical activists have no connection whatsoever to the Wet’suwet’en people who they claim to be in solidarity with. In fact, the majority of Wet’suwet’en support the project, as do many Indigenous communities. The activists are using Coastal GasLink as an excuse to advance their agenda.
We need a government willing to show some strength and fortitude in the face of these protests. This is just a preview of what will happen if construction of the TMX pipeline commences. If we don’t want our country to be hijacked by radical activists, the government needs to take action now.
As always, I can be reached in Ottawa at martin.shields@parl.gc.ca. My Brooks office can be reached at 403-793-6775 or martin.shields.c1@parl.gc.ca, and my Strathmore office at 403-361-2980 or martin.shields.c1B@parl.gc.ca. Please don’t hesitate to contact me about any federal issue.