Erin O’Toole in the National Post: Shutting down Enbridge’s Line 5 would be devastating for Canada
Erin O’Toole, Special to National Post
Feb 02, 2021
Canada’s oil and gas sector suffered a tremendous blow with the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline project. Keystone was all about securing additional export market access for western Canadian crude, to help a struggling energy sector and secure better average prices for our resources. But another great threat to our economy is looming: the cancellation of one of the most vital supply lines in Canada for decades. Tens of thousands of good jobs hang in the balance, and so does the cost of everything from gasoline to food across Ontario and Quebec.
Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline carries Canadian oil east, running through Wisconsin and Michigan, supplying about half of the oil needs of Ontario and Quebec. Yes, half. For decades, the pipeline has safely shipped oil that is refined in Sarnia into gasoline, diesel, home heating fuel, and aviation fuel. It is also the main source of propane used in Ontario and Quebec. Many farmers use propane to heat homes, barns and commercial greenhouses, as well as to dry grain. Sourcing propane elsewhere could drive the costs of agricultural production up along with the cost of food for Canadian families.
Line 5 also feeds into Line 9, which carries oil to refineries in Montreal and Lévis for Quebec’s supply needs. According to Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan, Line 5 delivers 66 per cent of the crude oil consumed in Quebec. But that does not seem to be enough to warrant the Liberal government taking action to protect jobs and everyday consumers.
The Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, has ordered the pipeline shutdown by this May. While this move violates the Transit Pipelines Treaty, which President Joe Biden supported as a Senator, the Trudeau Liberals have been silent on what is being done to keep the pipeline running.
6,500 good-paying jobs in Sarnia, Ontario are on the line. A further 23,500 indirect jobs in that same region could also be impacted, and thousands more across Ontario and Quebec. On the heels of disappointment for families connected with Keystone, we cannot fail more Canadians.
For the past week, Conservative MPs have been asking questions about Line 5 in the House on behalf of families across Canada. The Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources have all refused to say what efforts Canada is undertaking to protect these jobs. Line 5 did not get mentioned in the Prime Minister’s call with President Biden, or his call with John Kerry a week later, or his call with Vice President Harris this week. When I asked the Prime Minister directly why Line 5 was not a priority for him, he had no answer.
When I asked the Deputy Prime Minister why the government was sitting back as the United States considered shutting down another Canadian pipeline, she had no answer. The most we have been able to get is the government is working with diplomats to advocate for Line 5. But as was reported in this paper, the Consul General can’t even get anyone in Michigan to the table to negotiate.
We need to get Canadians back to work. We cannot afford to give up on Canadian jobs. The Prime Minister has a responsibility to these workers and their families. Canadians need proof that Line 5 and the thousands of good-paying union jobs that go with it are a priority. The Liberal government talks about a “Team Canada” approach but to date there has been no concerted pan-Canadian effort to advocate with the Governors of Wisconsin or Michigan. There’s been no cross-partisan effort to make Canada’s case to the new U.S. administration.
So far, this government’s approach to Line 5 looks a lot like its approach to Keystone XL in November: pray for the best and hope the worst doesn’t come to pass. That is not leadership. Canada needs real action to secure our future.
Erin O’Toole is the Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition.