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by Terry Winnitoy
For years, critics of Canada’s oil and natural gas industry have argued that major energy projects cannot be developed without unacceptable environmental consequences. Yet the evidence from some of Canada’s largest and most scrutinized energy projects tells a different story.
From the Coastal GasLink pipeline crossing some of the most environmentally sensitive terrain in British Columbia, to LNG Canada’s massive export facility in Kitimat, to major oilsands developments that continue to reduce emissions intensity while operating under some of the world’s strictest environmental regulations, Canada’s energy sector has repeatedly demonstrated that economic development and environmental stewardship can coexist.
The question facing Canadians today is no longer whether the industry can build responsibly.
The question is why governments continue to place obstacle after obstacle in front of projects that have already proven they can meet rigorous environmental standards.
A Track Record of Responsible Development
Consider LNG Canada, the largest private-sector investment in Canadian history.
Located in Kitimat, British Columbia, the project underwent years of environmental review before construction began. The facility incorporates advanced technology designed to reduce emissions intensity and is expected to have one of the lowest carbon footprints among major LNG export facilities globally.
The project has created thousands of construction jobs, generated billions in economic activity, and opened a new pathway for Canadian natural gas exports to Asian markets.
Importantly, LNG Canada did not happen despite environmental scrutiny—it happened because the project successfully navigated one of the most comprehensive environmental assessment processes in the world.
The same can be said for the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
The 670-kilometre pipeline required years of consultation, route adjustments, environmental studies, wildlife management plans, watercourse protections, and Indigenous engagement before construction proceeded. More than twenty elected Indigenous governments signed benefit agreements connected to the project.
Construction involved crossing hundreds of streams and rivers while employing extensive mitigation measures designed to minimize environmental impacts. While the project was not without controversy, it demonstrated that large-scale energy infrastructure can be built while meeting stringent environmental requirements.
Canada’s oil sands industry offers another example.
For decades, the sector has been portrayed internationally as environmentally reckless by anti-oil and gas activists and agenda driven politicians. Remember, the tar sands campaign? Yet the reality is that producers have invested billions of dollars in emissions reduction technologies, water recycling systems, land reclamation programs, methane reduction initiatives, and carbon capture projects.
The industry’s emissions intensity has declined significantly over the past several decades, even as production has increased. Companies continue to invest heavily in technologies aimed at further reducing their environmental footprint.
The proposed Oil Sands Alliance carbon capture and storage network represents one of the largest planned emissions reduction projects in the world, demonstrating the industry’s willingness to invest in long-term environmental solutions.
Canadian Standards Are Among the Highest in the World
One fact is often overlooked in public discussions.
Canada already possesses some of the strongest environmental regulations anywhere on the planet.
Canadian projects are subject to:
- Federal and provincial environmental assessments.
- Indigenous consultation requirements.
- Water protection regulations.
- Fisheries protections.
- Species-at-risk legislation.
- Emissions reporting requirements.
- Land reclamation obligations.
- Workplace safety standards.
- Continuous regulatory oversight.
No major energy project proceeds without extensive review.
In many cases, developers spend years and hundreds of millions of dollars completing studies, consultations, engineering work, and environmental assessments before a shovel ever enters the ground.
The issue is no longer environmental oversight.
The issue is regulatory duplication, delay, uncertainty, and political interference.
The Cost of Endless Delays
Canada’s challenge is not a lack of environmental standards.
It is an excess of process.
The federal Impact Assessment Act, often referred to by critics as Bill C-69, has become a symbol of the problem. Intended to improve project reviews, opponents argue it has instead introduced uncertainty regarding timelines, approval criteria, and federal authority over resource development.
Investors require certainty.
When approval timelines stretch for years—or even decades—capital naturally seeks jurisdictions where decisions are made more quickly.
The consequences are visible.
Major projects such as Northern Gateway, Energy East, and the original expansion plans for numerous LNG facilities were ultimately cancelled or abandoned after years of regulatory hurdles and shifting political conditions.
Meanwhile, countries such as the United States, Qatar, Australia, Guyana, Brazil, and several Middle Eastern producers continue advancing major oil and natural gas developments at a rapid pace.
Global demand for energy has not disappeared.
The investment simply goes elsewhere.
The World Wants More Energy
A fundamental reality often ignored in Canadian policy debates is that global energy demand continues to grow.
The world is not reducing its consumption of oil and natural gas fast enough to eliminate the need for new supply.
Emerging economies across Asia, Africa, and Latin America continue to require enormous amounts of affordable and reliable energy to support economic growth, industrialization, and rising living standards.
When Canada fails to develop its resources, demand does not vanish.
Instead, production shifts to competing jurisdictions that frequently operate under weaker environmental standards, lower labour protections, and less stringent regulatory oversight.
From a global environmental perspective, preventing Canadian projects while encouraging production elsewhere often achieves little beyond transferring investment and emissions to competing nations.
Indigenous Partnerships Have Changed the Landscape
Another major shift in recent years has been the growing participation of Indigenous communities in resource development.
Across Canada, Indigenous ownership stakes in pipelines, power projects, LNG facilities, and related infrastructure are increasing.
The Cedar LNG project in British Columbia represents one of the most significant Indigenous-majority-owned energy projects in Canadian history.
Pipeline projects, transmission infrastructure, and natural resource developments are increasingly providing long-term revenue streams, employment opportunities, and economic independence for Indigenous communities.
These partnerships represent a powerful example of reconciliation through economic participation rather than dependence.
Yet prolonged regulatory uncertainty threatens these opportunities as much as it threatens investors.
Government Should Be a Regulator, Not a Roadblock
Governments have an important role to play.
Environmental standards matter.
Consultation matters.
Public accountability matters.
But there is a significant difference between regulating development and obstructing development.
Canada has reached a point where many investors view regulatory approval not as a process but as a gamble.
A project can spend years satisfying requirements only to face additional reviews, court challenges, shifting political priorities, or changing rules.
That uncertainty imposes a significant economic cost.
It discourages investment.
It reduces competitiveness.
It weakens Canada’s position in global energy markets.
Most importantly, it delays projects that generate jobs, government revenues, Indigenous partnerships, and export opportunities.
A Choice for Canada
Canada stands at an important crossroads.
The country possesses vast oil and natural gas resources, world-class engineering expertise, strong environmental regulations, skilled workers, and growing Indigenous participation in resource development.
The industry has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to build major projects responsibly.
LNG Canada, Coastal GasLink, the Trans Mountain Expansion, and numerous other developments show that energy infrastructure can be constructed while meeting high environmental standards.
The challenge today is not proving that responsible development is possible.
That case has already been made.
The challenge is whether governments are prepared to trust the regulatory systems they have created and allow approved projects to move forward.
While Canada debates and delays, competing nations continue building.
The rest of the world is not waiting and investment is not waiting.
If Canada wants to an energy superpower, attract investment, strengthen its economy, and contribute responsibly to global energy security, governments must shift from acting as gatekeepers of endless process to facilitators of responsible development.
The industry has earned the opportunity to build.
Now governments need to get out of the way. The question now is, will they?
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OPINION: Canada’s Energy Industry Has Proven It Can Build Responsibly. It’s Time for Governments to Get Out of the Way – Terry Winnitoy