Think it's hard to build big projects in Canada now? Wait till you see the Liberals' new bill
A fight over the federal government’s bill to overhaul the National Energy Board has been playing out away from the public eye but is expected to take centre stage in the Senate in September.
Behind the scenes, lower levels of government, companies and think tanks have been suggesting changes to Bill C-69 — which would turn the NEB into the Canadian Energy Regulator and establish an Impact Assessment Agency for new resource projects with a new scope and timelines.
At a recent meeting of energy ministers in Iqaluit, Saskatchewan’s Bronwyn Eyre said she and her counterparts in Alberta and Ontario raised concerns with the bill, which she called “an existential threat to our competitiveness.”
“It is the least-reported development that poses the greatest economic risk. I think there are no bones about that,” Eyre said, adding her government is considering appearing before the Senate to raise their concerns.
McCuaig-Boyd, Alberta Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips and Indigenous Relations Minister Richard Freehan wrote their federal counterparts earlier this summer, saying “energy leaders are voicing their concerns about many of the federal government’s proposed changes and Alberta shares many of those concerns. Many have suggested they will not be making new investments in our country.”
I am completely amazed that the Liberals have managed to keep this issue out of the media attention, and that no one is talking about this and the irreversible damage that it will do to our resource sector. If this passes, it will undoubtedly be the final nail in the coffin for Canada's competitive resource economy.
A fight over the federal government’s bill to overhaul the National Energy Board has been playing out away from the public eye but is expected to take centre stage in the Senate in September.
Behind the scenes, lower levels of government, companies and think tanks have been suggesting changes to Bill C-69 — which would turn the NEB into the Canadian Energy Regulator and establish an Impact Assessment Agency for new resource projects with a new scope and timelines.
At a recent meeting of energy ministers in Iqaluit, Saskatchewan’s Bronwyn Eyre said she and her counterparts in Alberta and Ontario raised concerns with the bill, which she called “an existential threat to our competitiveness.”
“It is the least-reported development that poses the greatest economic risk. I think there are no bones about that,” Eyre said, adding her government is considering appearing before the Senate to raise their concerns.
McCuaig-Boyd, Alberta Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips and Indigenous Relations Minister Richard Freehan wrote their federal counterparts earlier this summer, saying “energy leaders are voicing their concerns about many of the federal government’s proposed changes and Alberta shares many of those concerns. Many have suggested they will not be making new investments in our country.”
I am completely amazed that the Liberals have managed to keep this issue out of the media attention, and that no one is talking about this and the irreversible damage that it will do to our resource sector. If this passes, it will undoubtedly be the final nail in the coffin for Canada's competitive resource economy.
