TransCanada has made the decision to shelve its Energy East and Eastern Mainline pipeline projects.
United Conservative leadership candidate Brian Jean was quick to attack changes made by the Liberal government to the National Energy Board regulatory process.
“I never thought it would get so bad that TransCanada would ever lose confidence in the regulatory process and our government to take a one billion dollar write-off rather than keep trying to develop this vital nation-building project,” said Jean. “The worst part is that all of those 200,000 plus Albertans that are unemployed right now, are losing hope because their government, their two levels, the province and the federal government are not standing up for them.”
Jean says with the United States producing more oil and relying less on Canadian imports the importance of accessing new markets becomes even greater.
“That is going to change the game entirely because they import 99 per cent of our oil. So, if we don’t find the ability to take our oil to the market other directions, which were constitutionally able to, by the highest law of the land, then we’re in big, big trouble and that’s why we need to immediately start that process.
Jean wasn’t the only one to react harshly to this morning’s announcement as politicians from across the province decry the shelving a pipeline that would’ve pushed 1.1 million barrels of Alberta oil to east coast refineries each day.
Jason Kenney, another leadership candidate for the United Conservative Party, calls the cancellation a win for dictator oil.
A huge blow to our economic future, a huge win for dictator oil. The NEB clearly did Trudeau’s bidding in jeopardizing this critical project https://t.co/9y7oe9xrxM
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) October 5, 2017
Calgary mayor, Naheed Nenshi, calls out Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre for essentially celebrating the loss of Canadian jobs.
Any response @DenisCoderre to Calgary Mayor Nenshi? #yeg#yycpic.twitter.com/PzG4YWXRxm
— CityNews Edmonton (@CityNewsYEG) October 5, 2017
In a statement released by New Brunswick Premier, Brian Gallant, he says economic benefits were never added to the economic or fiscal projection. Without the pipeline, the province still had the strongest economic growth in a decade.
“But there is no doubt that with the Energy East pipeline project we would have been able to do even more to grow the economy, strengthen education and improve health care in our province.”
In September the National Energy Board said it would use a tougher review process, causing TransCanada to put its application on hold.
