Pipeline to East Coast would open Europe and beyond

Originally published in the Telegraph-Journal.

Why the Northern Shield Energy Corridor should extend to New Brunswick 

When Premiers Doug Ford and Danielle Smith proposed the Northern Shield Energy Corridor, which would move 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Alberta to Ontario, Ford said it would be “absolutely beautiful” to see the pipeline extended to Saint John, New Brunswick, which would open access to markets in Europe and beyond. 

A nationwide Canadian pipeline would do more than deliver oil. It would strengthen our independence and reinforce our sovereignty. The federal government needs to lead pipeline expansion to the East Coast just as it is leading pipeline expansion to the West Coast.

The West Coast project, which Premier Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney announced days before the Northern Shield proposal, will move Alberta oil to British Columbia and is being led by Trans Mountain Corp., a Crown corporation with a 90-per-cent stake in the project.

The East Coast is ready

New Brunswick is poised to seize the opportunity of this nation-building project, and the timing has never been better.

Premier Susan Holt has already signaled her government’s support for pipelines.

“We’re really interested in getting that kind of infrastructure from coast-to-coast-to-coast,” she said at a First Ministers conference in June. “We want to make sure all of Canada can benefit from its resources.”

The previous Energy East project, first proposed in 2011, would have built a pipeline to bring Alberta crude oil to Saint John. It enjoyed enthusiastic bipartisan support in both Alberta and New Brunswick, but it was abandoned in 2017, partly because of widespread opposition in Quebec, including the government of former Premier Francois Legault.

But new Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette, who was the provincial energy minister before becoming premier, indicated during her leadership campaign that because of geopolitical instability and economic uncertainty, she was willing to reconsider Quebec’s position on energy issues.

In addition to a Northern Shield pipeline extension from Ontario to New Brunswick, the same route should be used to extend the gas pipeline that currently ends at Levis, PQ. This project, which was once the top national priority of Holt’s New Brunswick Liberal government, would end the farcical practice of shipping Alberta gas to the Maritimes via the United States where its price skyrockets due to high transportation tolls.

Since becoming premier, Fréchette has met with New Brunswick’s natural resources minister John Herron to discuss moving liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Quebec City to Saint John for processing, a project that would require expansion of existing pipelines.

First Nations consultation

For the Northern Shield Energy Corridor to meet the federal government’s definition of a nation-building project, five requirements must be met, not least of which is that it must be “a high priority for Indigenous leaders.”

Smith and Ford have both indicated that their provinces are consulting with Indigenous partners. For the pipeline to extend to Saint John, there needs to be meaningful consultation with First Nations, not just a cursory display of respect. Smith has suggested that First Nations could take an equity stake in the project, which may be a sign they are interested in the kind of true partnership necessary to move the project forward.

Atlantic Canadians support a pipeline

A new pipeline to the East Coast would have more public support and face fewer political and bureaucratic barriers than previous projects such as Energy East.

Two-thirds of Canadians support new or expanded oil pipelines, according to polling from the Privy Council Office. In Atlantic Canada, support is at 73 per cent, not far behind Alberta, which leads the country with 78 per cent support.

The federal government’s support for a pipeline to the East Coast would increase Canada’s global energy exports and bolster our independence in a time of global uncertainty. It presents an opportunity for a true nation-building project, spanning from coast to coast, poised to deliver Canada’s resources to the world on our own terms.

Now, more than ever, is time for our political and business leaders to work together to help our country realize its potential and become a true energy superpower for generations to come.