New Senate committee to place spotlight on Arctic
A new Senate committee dedicated to studying issues affecting Canada’s North, is planning to “hit the ground running” when the Upper Chamber resumes at the end of January, says the new group’s deputy chair. Approved by the Senate on Sept. 27, the new Special Committee on the Arctic held its first meeting on Dec. 13, […]
Conservatives willing to fight for NAFTA abroad, but Trudeau needs to prove he has a plan at home
The following is an edited excerpt from remarks Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer delivered to the Mississauga Board of Trade on Jan. 12. Negotiations over the future of NAFTA are still underway. And they’re not going well. The government is signaling they expect the U.S. to try to pull out of the deal. We have […]
NAFTA brings more power to Canada’s energy industry
United States President Donald Trump has famously called it “the worst trade deal ever made.” Some claim that it has cost Canada good jobs. For better or for worse, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) looks like it may soon be on its way out. This could have significant impacts on Canada’s energy sector. […]
Who decides on energy projects?
Last month, the latest twist in the ongoing saga over pipeline politics in Canada took place in a hearing room of the National Energy Board. At issue was whether the City of Burnaby is obstructing federal approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion by dragging its feet on processing local bylaws. The board decided to […]
Liberal government must champion and support Canada’s dynamic natural resources sector
Canadian natural resource development creates millions of jobs, provides revenue to all levels of government, and raises the standard of living for Canadians in every community. That’s particularly true of the energy sector, but Liberal policies risk the long-term future of Canadian oil and gas development. Energy is Canada’s biggest private sector investor. It provides […]
‘It’s frustrating to be fighting this again’: softwood lumber agreement long way off, say observers
The Canadian forestry industry is getting ready for another long-term softwood lumber dispute, with Susan Yurkovich, president of the British Columbia Lumber Trade Council, saying she does not expect the United States government or the U.S. industry to come back to the table “in the near future.” The high prices of the product mean the […]
It’s high time to upgrade the Fisheries Act
If once upon a time the belief that fisheries were an endless natural resource was common, it is now abundantly clear that it is not. Fisheries are declining fast around the globe, and Canada is not exempt from this. For example, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent advisory […]
Liberals to roll out legislative package with reforms to National Energy Board in early 2018: Carr
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr says the Liberal government will introduce its long-awaited legislative package overhauling the country’s environmental assessment and regulatory processes—including modernizing the pipeline regulator—in the new year. The announcement comes months after the release of a report from the expert panel struck by the Liberals to examine the National Energy Board (NEB) […]
Buildings key to Canada’s clean-energy future
In Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr’s recent piece in these pages on the Generation Energy conference, he cites three things Canadians can do to work towards Canada’s clean-energy future: expand and improve renewable energy sources; decrease the greenhouse gas footprint of non-renewable energy consumption; and use less of both. When it comes to addressing the […]
‘It’s the question of whether we want to continue in the status quo’: stakeholders worry environmental assessment process could lead to cut corners
Industry associations and environmental groups are mostly backing the increased government collaboration recommended as part of a new environmental assessment process, though some worry that cutting out the individual steps could lead to cutting corners. Currently industry must often do separate assessments for federal, provincial or territorial, and aboriginal governments when looking to have a […]
