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OTTAWA — Calling the development and export of Canada’s resources “nation building,” federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver says Canada must seize a once-in-a-lifetime energy opportunity or watch the associated economic benefits disappear.
But cultivating Canada’s natural resources demands that governments do more to earn the social licence to develop the oil, gas, diamond, uranium and other lucrative deposits found across the country, he said Monday at the annual meeting of Canada’s energy and mines ministers in Yellowknife, N.W.T.
Yet, groups observing the talks, such as Environmental Defence, say the feeling around the conference is “very disconnected with the reality” of Canadians’ concerns about the impacts of natural resource development on land, water and air.
In a keynote speech to fellow ministers, Oliver compared the development and export of the country’s natural resources to the building of the railroad across Canada or construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The country’s economic prosperity is not a birthright, he said, meaning Canada must capitalize on its resource bounty while it still can.
Doing so requires the federal, provincial and territorial governments to develop Canada’s abundant natural resources, build the needed infrastructure — such as pipelines and export terminals — and diversify the country’s markets beyond the United States and to emerging economies.
Failing to act could see the country pass up billions of dollars in economic benefits and thousands of jobs, he said. The moribund Mackenzie Valley natural gas project, which faced a regulatory review of nearly a decade, was an “irretrievable loss” for a generation of aboriginals in the Northwest Territories, he argued.
“So we have a choice — to proceed or procrastinate. We can roll up our sleeves or wring our hands. We can decide to get this done or we can dither — and watch the opportunities pass to others,” Oliver told his counterparts.
“Because make no mistake, this moment — this opportunity — is perishable. It will not last forever. And it does not exist just for us. So we have to organize ourselves for success. We need to implement the policies that will make this happen. And we have to do it together.”
Gillian McEachern with Environmental Defence said ministers need to stop assuming that what’s in Canada’s national interest is what’s in oil companies’ interests.
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