Carr speaks to Calgary business leaders but brings no commitment of pipelines

Confidence appeared to be the key message from Canada’s Natural Resources Minister in an address to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

The format was a Q&A on stage with a moderator and many of Jim Carr’s answers were straight forward and often times “tongue and cheek.”

Ottawa recently announced additional delays for both the TransMountain pipeline and the Energy East pipeline so they could both undergo additional assessment.

While in Calgary, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated there needs to be a balance between economic need and environmental sustainability.

Carr kept with that messaging Friday morning with the city’s business leaders, providing empathy for the position Alberta is in, but little else in terms of commitments on pipelines.

“What’s the alternative, to rush a process that has no public confidence?” Carr said when asked if the Alberta economy can wait while the pipelines undergo additional scrutiny.

The minister said deciding on whether a pipeline is in Canada’s national interest is just as much a political consideration as any piece or budget measure the government handles on a daily basis.

“The confidence that’s most important is the confidence of Canadians in the regulatory process. We were not able to build a single kilometre of pipeline between 2011 and today. The means, the regulatory process that we’ve been using does not carry enough confidence so we’re going to have to bolster that.”

Carr said when they’re done, the Liberals want Canadians to know they’ve been heard. He added, not everyone will be happy with the final decision.

He stopped short of answering a hypothetical question on whether his government could overrule an NEB decision on TransMountain if it’s in the best national interest.

The Winnipeg-based politician also didn’t appear to be concerned also about a potential geo-political rift forming between eastern and western Canada.

“We see it as a national issue in that what is good for the economies of resource provinces, should be good for the economy of the entire country. There may be people who choose to make this a wedge issue, there may be people who choose to play the politics of division. That is not our way. Our way is the politics of unity in Canada.”

He said he wanted people to understand that everything the Liberals do is seen through the lens of what unites people, not divides them.

Much of the delays facing the two pipelines will be to undertake consultations with Indigenous communities.

“We have not only a constitutional obligation but a moral one as well. We will be appointing a ministerial representative who will travel to communities up and down the line. We will assess the recommendations of the National Energy Board and add to that these meaningful conversations with these communities.”