Saskatchewan’s Official Opposition welcomes the pipeline decisions made earlier this week. It is the long-standing position of the Official Opposition that the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Expansion and Enbridge Line 3 Replacement Project are in the best interests of Saskatchewan while the Northern Gateway pipeline would result in tanker traffic following far too treacherous a route.
These announcements underscore the need for the Sask. Party government to finally come up with a credible plan to address climate change and carbon emissions here in Saskatchewan. The Prime Minister made a point of crediting the Alberta government and noting that the federal pipeline approvals were only possible because of that constructive work to get to “yes”. Specifically, the Alberta government worked with the oil industry and committed to support them if they would commit to reducing their emissions. Then, when the federal government announced they would be imposing a price on carbon, instead of picking a fight or throwing a fit, the Alberta government worked constructively to ensure federal support for the Alberta energy sector.
With a decision still pending on the Energy East Pipeline which would ship Saskatchewan oil, we will continue to call on the Sask. Party government to put an end to their decade of twitter tantrums and picking fights which has undermined Saskatchewan’s reputation and credibility and has not resulted in the construction or expansion of a single pipeline to tidewater.
Although we need to improve regulations and inspections, pipelines are the safest way to ship oil and gas and it is crucial that we get our energy products to tidewater to serve the customers of our resources, grow our economy, and create jobs. We will continue to call on the Sask. Party to work in a constructive way – including by taking meaningful made in Saskatchewan action on carbon emissions and climate change – so that the federal government will feel equally compelled to approve a pipeline that will directly benefit our province.