Canadian oil and gas industry ready to work with Carney on ‘energy superpower’ promise

The Liberals won one seat in Calgary in the federal election, and the new MP there thinks he's just the man to help mend some fences.

Members of Canada’s oil and gas industry say they are ready to get to work on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s campaign promise to turn Canada into an energy superpower.

After a brisk campaign, Carney’s Liberals won enough seats on election night to form another minority government, but the party faces staunch opposition in the Prairies.

Canada’s energy sector was a key issue on the campaign trail, with both Carney’s Liberals and Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives unveiling plans for new pipelines.

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At a campaign stop in Calgary, Carney pledged to position Canada as a “world energy superpower,” calling for new pipelines, including one to Eastern Canada.

In a statement Tuesday, Lisa Baiton, the president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), congratulated Carney on the Liberal Party’s election win, highlighting the new government’s opportunity to “rejuvenate” the economy and natural resource strategy.

“Canada’s oil and natural gas industry is ready to work with Prime Minister Carney to support his goal of making Canada a global energy superpower,” Baiton said.

“Developing our world-class oil and natural gas resources to their full potential by growing our exports to international markets will strengthen our energy security and economic sovereignty.”

Mark Scholz, the president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors (CAOEC), said the results of the election showed the debate around the future of the country’s energy industry has shifted.

“Both leading parties recognized the urgent need to expand oil and gas development, secure Canada’s energy and economic strength, and build critical infrastructure to counter rising global uncertainty and protectionism from our largest trading partner, the United States,” Scholz said in a statement.

Calgary has one Liberal representative in the newly elected government, and he hopes to be a part of the energy conversation.

Liberal candidate Corey Hogan, the MP elected in Calgary Confederation, said he plans to bring his background working in the oil and gas sector to his new role.

“We want to make sure that the policy intent of the government is well understood by industry and industry’s concerns are well understood by government,” Hogan said, adding he fully understands this relationship.

“There wasn’t a major pipeline project in the past 15 years that I wasn’t a part of – I was involved in Northern Gateway, Energy East, TMX and KXL to a lesser extent.

“With that first-hand knowledge, I can speak to both sides and we can bridge that gap a bit.”

Smith: ‘I will not permit the status quo to continue’

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also congratulated Carney on Tuesday but, in turn, encouraged the prime minister to immediately get to work to “reset the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta,” focusing largely on the province’s industries and natural resources.

“As premier, I will not permit the status quo to continue. Albertans are proud Canadians that want this nation to be strong, prosperous, and united, but we will no longer tolerate having our industries threatened and our resources landlocked by Ottawa,” Smith said in a statement Tuesday.

The premier added that the government will be hosting a special caucus meeting on Friday to assess options to strengthen and protect the province from “future hostile acts from Ottawa.”

The Business Council of Alberta hopes the new government can act on a practical economic agenda that allows the province to reach its “full potential.” The council said it has sent Carney its policy recommendations to achieve that goal.

“These include building trade infrastructure, advancing a pragmatic approach to climate and energy, unlocking the potential of our workforce and natural resources and restoring Canada’s competitiveness on the global stage – all are actions that can, and should, begin immediately,” the BCA said in a statement.

During the campaign, Carney said his Liberal government would establish a major federal project office with a clear mandate to issue a decision after a single review on a pipeline project within two years instead of five.

With files from Jordan Kanygin and Kevin Green