Pierre Poilievre promises national energy corridor for pipeline builds

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Ottawa – Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre promised that if elected, his administration would establish a “national energy corridor” between the East and the West to ensure approval of pipelines, railways and other resource infrastructure in Canada (if elected).

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Poilievre assured in a video posted online on Monday: “This corridor will be pre-designated to ensure that all levels of government provide legally binding commitments to approve projects within it. Investors will no longer face endless regulatory hurdles. First nations will be involved from the outset.”

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The video starts with Poilievre coming out from behind the bust of Sir John A. MacDonald, turning to the dark grey statue and rhetorically asking whether the Canadian Pacific Railway could be established by 2025 in 2025.

“We should not forget that John A. wanted a railroad from the East to the West: so we wouldn’t rely so much on Americans. But today, with the United States threatening tariffs, we need East to trade more than ever, and it would be impossible to establish such a project (under the leadership of the liberal government),” Poilievre said.

Conservative leaders said in the video that to transport Alberta oil to Quebec, it had to pass through the pipeline across the northern U.S. He said this was not ideal in the historic trade war with the United States and President Donald Trump’s threat to Canadian annexation.

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“This gives Americans the ability to cut off Canadians from our own energy supply,” he said in the video.

“We will break our dependence on the United States and rely more on our fellow Canadians, and we will bring our country together by adding pipelines, power lines, roads and railroads to honor the legacy of John McDonald and his railways,” he said.

Conservatives say the corridor will benefit from pre-approval from governments at all levels, including Aboriginal people, to accelerate the construction of infrastructure that can move Canada’s energy such as electricity, oil and gas.

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Poilievre said at a NB St. John’s press conference that the process will be carried out through three steps: consulting and environmental research, consultation with the Aboriginal people, and formalizing the permit (including specifications and project standards) and publishing “legal integration” documents online.

He said the government will not be able to “change mind” after the permit is released, thus eliminating uncertainty arising from the Liberal Party since 2015.

Poilievre slammed the Liberal government and former Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, accusing them of blocking more than a dozen “main energy projects” and none of the 18 liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals sought approval since 2015.

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The concept of national infrastructure or energy corridors has made significant progress in recent weeks as the trade war with the United States heats up.

Days before the election, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised that the federal government was working with the provinces to create a national “trade and economic corridor” that includes a single ratification process.

“This new measure will create a clear, predictable and efficient review process – the highest standards for safety, environmental protection and indigenous consultation and reduce investor uncertainty,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.

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