On Tuesday we came across a piece of news that really highlighted just how badly Canada needs pipelines.
The company that owns Canada’s largest refinery applied to use tankers to bring oil from Burnaby, south through the Panama canal all the way north to Saint John New Brunswick!
Oil is now being transported thousands of kilometres through two different oceans. It is an extreme example of the damaged caused by Canada’s unbalanced discussion surrounding energy, and our need for infrastructure to support it.
Undoubtedly, much of the blame needs to fall on activist organizations, who have sought to control the debate on pipelines and oil and natural gas production in Canada. They have fought against every major energy project, and are often successful. They have even celebrated and claimed victory when projects have been cancelled. Projects that would have provided thousands of well-paying jobs – jobs that the country will desperately need in the coming months.
This is a long trip that would not need to occur if we had adequate pipeline infrastructure in this country.
The company said:
“As a Canadian company who owns and operates Canada’s largest oil refinery, Irving oil should have access to Canadian crude oil from both offshore Newfoundland and Western Canada.”
We couldn’t agree more.
To add to the craziness, in 2018, Canada spent $19.4 on imported oil. Not only do we not have the infrastructure to connect western Canadian oil, to eastern Canadian refineries, we continue to import oil from the United States and other countries such as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Russia— none of which share our commitment to protecting people and the environment.
Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world, it is time to act like the energy superpower that we are, and get Canadian oil to eastern refineries and world markets. Doing so will raise much needed revenues to fund critical services like education and healthcare.
For too long, radical activists have controlled the debate on Canadian energy policy. We cannot allow this to go on any longer.
Pass this email along to your friends, and family, everyone should be aware that we are moving Canadian oil 7600 nautical miles by sea, when we could have been using safer, more environmentally friendly transportation like pipelines.
