Making a case for Canadian-branded energy by Gary G. Mar, Q.C., President and CEO, Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) In Canada’s history, it has taken the efforts of many to build an economic legacy that benefits all Canadians. But, under our current rules, only the efforts of a few are required to stop it. One consequence of this condition is the paucity of investors in the Canadian energy sector. All that remains of investors are governments and all of their investment is with borrowed money. CEOs, such as Encana’s, have left the country. An accretion of regulations and legislation by federal and provincial governments and tax policy are further driving a flight of capital, both financial and human, away from Canada. Calgary was once a head-office centre that is now relegated to a branch-office town. Canada may return to the status of being a colony, albeit one where corporations, not a sovereign government, call the shots and extract our resources at colonial prices. While Sir Wilfred Laurier may have predicted the greatness of Canada at the dawn of the 20th century, he was unable to see far enough to accurately assess the current century. Canada, as a nation, has a poverty of ambition. We no longer aspire that achievement must be done, only that it might be done. Even the humble mom-and-pop grocery store aspires to have more than one customer. Canada should, too. How? Build a pipeline to West Coast tidewater and supply China and India. Concerned about Russia? Displace the buyers of Russian oil with Canadian oil. Vladimir Putin needs money to run his kleptocracy. Should Canada want to help mitigate GHG emissions into the global atmosphere? Yes! Then build a natural gas pipeline that contributes to the efforts to convert China from coal to gas-fired power plants. Should Canada be consistent in its human rights stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? Yes!
Then build a pipeline to tidewater in Canada and end our $2-billion-a-year reliance on oil from a repressive regime and provide the world with a Canadian option. Concerned about Americans treating the Northwest Passage as international waters? You should be. Then buy a fleet of icebreakers and move energy supply out of Churchill and take it to Rotterdam or to Shandong. If you think the Arctic is environmentally sensitive, you are right. So, establish the right rules to govern our territory and don’t let others use it with impunity. Should Canada help developing nations rise out of energy poverty? Yes! Then build a pipeline to tidewater so we can provide them with reliable, affordable, and safe energy to replace coal, wood, and dung. These ideas may be considered right or wrong, but there is an absence of voices of value talking about how Canada can become a great middle power. Canadians need voices that speak up as Canadians first and British Columbians second. Canadians should ask, “What’s in it for us?” and not, “What’s in it for me?” We should want a Canada that lives up to our potential as a great nation that competes with the world, and not one of squabbling duchies.
Association Profile The Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) is the national trade association representing the service, supply and manufacturing sectors within the upstream petroleum industry. PSAC is Working Energy and as the voice of this sector, advocates for its members to enable the continued innovation, technological advancement and in-the-field experience they supply to energy explorers and producers in Canada and internationally, helping to increase efficiency, ensure safety and protect the environment. n B.C. Oil & Gas Report • 2019-2020
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