Today, Saskatchewan’s Official Opposition called on the federal government to stand up for Western Canada when considering the recommendations of the Expert Panel on the Modernization of the National Energy Board.
“The Panel’s recommendation to move the head office of this important oversight body for the energy sector from Calgary to Ottawa just doesn’t make sense,” said NDP Leader Trent Wotherspoon. “Job creators in the energy sector have their head offices in Western Canada, and the National Energy Board’s head office should be there too.”
Wotherspoon noted that the report did include some recommendations worth considering, including the call for the establishment of a National Energy Agency that would develop and publish statistics on the energy sector independently from the regulator, as well as a call for more comprehensive and meaningful consultation with Indigenous peoples to respect Inherent and Treaty rights.
“We know there’s a need to increase public confidence in the consultation process and the National Energy Board itself and we also know that pipelines are the safest way to get our energy products to market but we also,” said Wotherspoon. “The last thing we need is to have more policies drawn up in Ottawa and forced onto the Western Canadian economy.”