Federal Cabinet Approval of Trans Mountain Pipeline Project is only one Hurdle of Many the Canadian Government Needs to Jump June 19, 20191:34 AM BOE Report Staff

CALGARY, AB (June 18, 2019) – The Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) acknowledges the federal government’s approval of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP) but notes there are more hurdles for the government to cross before the pipeline will be built.

Gary Mar, President and CEO of PSAC, says, “The federal government was right to approve the TMEP. Poll after poll has shown that the majority of Canadians support this project, including an Abacus poll(1) which reported in January 2019 that 64% of Canadians want TMEP construction to begin in 2019. This majority included 60% of voters in B.C. and 70% in Ontario.” Clearly, losing Canadian jobs and over $80 million a day by selling our oil at a discount to our only customer that is now our biggest competitor, makes no sense and it appears that the Trudeau government has finally recognized the critical impacts of this situation with this approval.

“We can only express optimism after we see construction begin and continue through to completion. We have seen significant delays after the project was approved the first time. It remains to be seen if the Trudeau government will have the conviction to support this project in the face of continued litigation and delay tactics by opponents. We encourage the Trudeau government to demonstrate conviction for this project which is in the national interest. TMEP would provide some of the takeaway capacity needed to match our resource production capacity by providing access to global markets. Such access would result in receiving world prices for our product and accrue billions of dollars of benefits to Canadians across the country for social programs like health care and education and infrastructure,” continued Mar.

Duncan Au, Chair of PSAC and President and CEO of CWC Energy Services, commented, “The Trans Mountain Expansion Project will also provide numerous jobs, skills, and economic opportunities for our Indigenous people, including a potential equity stake in the project, opportunities they want and deserve.”

“While welcome, the TMEP decision today comes only days before an expected announcement on federal Bills C-69, referred to in the west as the ‘no-more pipelines’ bill, and C-48, the tanker ban,” continued Duncan Au. “Bill C-48 effectively only bans Canadian tankers thereby landlocking western Canadian crude oil while continuing to allow foreign tankers along the coast of B.C. and along the St. Lawrence Seaway in eastern Canada. Both of these bills will have serious negative impacts on capital investment in the oil and gas sector in Canada.”

Gary Mar added, “In addition, the Trudeau government is demonstrating a lack of balance in its extreme environmental leanings by first limiting debate on its motion to declare a national climate emergency, and then passing it faster than you can say Jack Robinson. Presumably, the Trudeau government seeks to impose more legislative obstacles to oil and gas resource development. The world continues to need oil and gas. Canada has developed its resources responsibility, continually implementing innovation and new technologies to reduce carbon and environmental footprint. What other country in the world would limit its own prosperity in this way?