Ottawa, ON: Statement from Jason Kenney, Leader of the United Conservative Official Opposition:
“We are concerned that the measures announced today will discourage further investment and only create further uncertainty for our energy industry.
“While legislated timelines for decision-making could have achieved more certainty for job creators, the expanded scope of what comes under review will only deter much-need investment in job-creating projects. While the federal government is claiming they have reduced timelines, the cumulative timeframe could go as long as nearly 3 years, up from the current 15 month requirement, when taking all phases into consideration.
“Under this federal Liberal government’s watch, the much-needed $15.7 billion job-creating Energy East project was scrapped following an outrageous mid-review mandate expansion from the federal regulatory agency. Many aspects of today’s announcement appear to continue down this troubling direction.
“Today’s announcement also failed to provide any further clarity from the federal government for the future of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion Project, a much-needed job-creating project that would bolster the Canadian economy. Sadly, the federal Liberal government remains unwilling to stand up for Canada’s economic union beyond empty platitudes.”
