MP Barlow’s Statement on TransMountain

FOOTHILLS, AB – The Trans Mountain pipeline is a critical project for Alberta, but also essential for our country and for our economy. With the Federal Court of Appeal ruling to overturn Ottawa’s approvals for the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project, this is quickly becoming the most expensive scandal in the history of Canadian politics.

Trudeau has entangled our natural resource sector with burdensome red tape and unachievable regulations. He has injected his divisive ideology in to Liberal policy decisions and as a result of his incompetence the Liberals have botched major files, damaged both foreign and provincial relationships and unequivocally made life harder for all Canadians.

The devastation this will have on the Canadian energy sector cannot be overstated.

Energy is the number one private sector investment in the Canadian economy, and is Canada’s second biggest export. This crisis is serious, impacting the whole country and it puts thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in energy investment and government revenue at risk.

The Trans Mountain pipeline 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.

Strong environmental standards and ethically produced oil and gas speak for itself. As a country we should be touting this on the world stage, not fighting it in our own backyard. Yet, Trudeau’s failure to fulfill his own government’s consultation process is a testament to his government’s inability to handle major projects in the national interest of Canadians.

The Liberals spent $4.5 billion of taxpayer money to buy this pipeline and Canadians deserve answers. However, when confronted at a special meeting of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources yesterday, Liberal members of the committee blocked the discussion. Canadians are not getting answers nor an explanation on the Liberal’s plan to get TransMountain built.

Canada needs a Prime Minister who is proud of Canada’s energy sector, Alberta’s oilsands and the well-paying jobs and economic benefits that come with them. At the least, Canadians deserve a Prime Minister who puts rhetoric and spin aside, takes responsibility for his colossal failure on the energy file and is willing to champion this project to ensure it actually gets built.

Andrew Scheer and the Conservative Party of Canada will continue to stand with Canada’s natural resource sector and the thousands of energy jobs that go with it.