CRANBROOK, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Greg Rickford, Ontario Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, Bronwyn Eyre, Saskatchewan Minister of Energy and Resources, and Sonya Savage, Alberta Minister of Energy, released the following joint statement today following the 2019 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference:
“We wish to thank the Government of British Columbia for hosting this year’s Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference (2019 EMMC). We were proud to represent the people of our provinces and appreciated the opportunity to discuss shared priorities with our colleagues from across the country.
In recent years, the economic challenges facing our energy and mineral sectors have reached a critical point. We were profoundly disappointed with the 2019 EMMC discussions and communiqué as they did not adequately address our provinces’ challenges and concerns. Specifically, there was only superficial discussion about competitiveness, market access, the devastating economic effects of the Impact Assessment Act (Bill C-69) and Oil Tanker Moratorium Act (Bill C-48), the continued federal encroachment into provincial jurisdiction on natural resources and no real solution to carbon emissions beyond taxing hardworking families and businesses. As such, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta were not signatories.
Ontario and Saskatchewan voiced similar concerns when the federal government released its Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP) earlier this year. The CMMP’s failure to specifically address economic and competitiveness challenges jeopardizes Canada’s position as a leading nation in mineral development.
Our provinces are demonstrating leadership, not only in environmental protection, but also in labour standards and technological innovation. Since the world is consuming more energy and mineral resources everyday, Canada, with its world-class industry standards, should be at the forefront of that supply.
We continue to stand united against federal policies such as Bill C-69 and the federal carbon tax. We cannot support policies that force Canadians to pay more to heat their homes and fuel up their cars, while putting Canadian jobs and businesses at risk.
We will continue to reject short-sighted policies that seek to undo the “pro-energy” progress we have made in our provinces.
Our provinces are economically inter-related and rely on trade in oil and gas, uranium, minerals and other goods and services to create economic growth and jobs that hardworking families depend on to make ends meet. We will continue to work with provincial partners to eliminate red tape and outdated regulations that hinder internal trade. Now is the time to send a clear message to the world that Canada is open for business.”
