On Parliament Hill

U.S. President Joe Biden intends to deliver a deathblow to Canada’s, already reeling, energy sector, and Justin Trudeau is nowhere to be found.

According to transition documents, released to the Canadian Press, President Biden plans to cancel the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

The words “rescind Keystone XL pipeline permit” appear on a list of executive actions purportedly scheduled for day one of Biden’s presidency.

The project is already underway on the Canadian side, having been given the necessary permits by the previous U.S. Administration. Now, billions of dollars and thousands of jobs are at risk.

Canada (quite inexplicably) does not have the necessary infrastructure to refine our own oil – a topic for another time. Thus, we are reliant on pipelines to carry our oil to refineries south of the border.

While we all favour an environmentally sustainable future, the reality is, world still runs on oil, and will for the foreseeable future. Pipelines are, hands down, the safest means to transport oil.

The Keystone XL Pipeline would carry Canadian crude oil from Alberta through Montana and South Dakota and connect up with an existing pipeline in Nebraska to be refined in Texas.

Now, our energy sector faces more job losses and uncertainty at a time when the sector is already teetering on the brink.

While many Canadians welcomed the change in government south of the border, the sad reality is that the incoming Biden administration poses a more serious economic threat to Canada than that of his predecessor.

President Biden’s decision to cancel this $8 billion project, along with proposed “buy American” provisions more stringent than those of the previous administration, should give Canadians pause, especially given the already weakened state of our economy.

The revelation has far-left leaders in the NDP and Green Party rejoicing, citing the need to take more extreme action on climate.

Canada has some of the most stringent environmental regulations for energy production in the world. To cancel such a project in the name of environmental stewardship is, frankly, absurd.

As such, Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman, has stated that “The Government of Canada continues to support the Keystone XL project and the benefits that it will bring to both Canada and the United States,” and that the pipeline fits within the framework of Canada’s climate action plan. That said, to date, the Prime Minister has been missing in action.

Either the Prime Minster believes in our energy sector or he doesn’t. He cannot continue to have it both ways.

This decision is just another failure by Justin Trudeau on the world stage. It weakens an already strained relationship with our closest ally and weakens the national security of both nations, making us more reliant on imports from OPEC nations (Congo, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela etc.) for an, increasingly, uncertain future.

Canada’s Conservatives are calling on the Prime Minister to stand up for Canada’s energy sector and defend Canadian jobs.