The Ukraine Crisis and Canadian Energy

The invasion of Ukraine at the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin is a crisis that hasn’t been seen in generations. The invasion and subsequent war in a sovereign, democratic country has thrown into upheaval what we’ve learned, studied, and practiced with regards to international law since WWII. 

With each passing day, the war affects the world in ways that go beyond the violent combat and death that Ukrainians are experiencing. We must support Ukraine and its people in every measure possible, and Conservatives are calling on the government to intensify pressure on Russia…

To discuss the war in Ukraine, it would be remiss to not mention how Russia has been funding their war chest. Europe’s dependence on Russian energy including LNG has inflated their coffers and given Vladimir Putin the resources to wage this illegal war. 

Did you know that between 2001 and 2021, Canada imported $13.1 billion worth of Russian oil? Conservative MPs have questioned the government on a number of occasions, but the Minister of Natural Resources’ only answer is that Canada hasn’t imported crude oil directly from Russia since 2019. 

In the House of Commons there is a rule that MPs cannot say or do indirectly what they cannot say/do directly. But the Government of Canada is doing just that. Though Canada may not have imported CRUDE oil since 2019, we still imported petroleum products and other forms of oil derivatives. About $378 million worth in 2021 alone. So the Minister is glossing over a huge number that confirms in fact, our importation of Russian energy products.

So this begs the question: Why, when the world needs energy the most, does this Canadian Government not seek to expand our energy industry and be the world’s provider? 

Albertans know our energy industry is the most ethically sourced and held to the highest environmental standards. Yet, our country cannot even secure an East-West pipeline to support our own industry – let alone exporting worldwide. This Ukraine crisis will impact the way many people will come to think about the energy industry. When everything in life becomes more expensive and more people will realize how interconnected the global economy is, maybe they will understand that energy is needed for everything. To fuel your vehicle, to heat your home, to fuel the combine on the farm, and to keep warm the coops and barns housing livestock in the winter. 

Prices are up in every sector and in every corner of the country. Yet the Liberal government continues to make life more expensive with anti-energy policies such as increasing the carbon tax again on April 1, or shutting down energy projects like Energy East and more recently the Baie du Nord LNG that the Liberals are delaying. 30% of Eastern Canadians depend on foreign oil, 

We need a government that will champion every Canadian industry, in every region of the country.