Prime Minister Mark Carney sat down for a closed-door roundtable with several representatives of the energy sector on Sunday.
The Canadian Press
Energy chief executives got a glimpse of how major infrastructure projects will be assessed if they are to be declared in the national interest during a two-hour meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The discussions inside the Harry Hays building in downtown Calgary included faces from all facets of the energy sector, from oil and gas to renewables, electricity providers and critical minerals. The goal? To figure out how to work toward Mr. Carney’s pledge to make Canada an energy superpower.
Despite the chasm that often divides industries that were at the table Sunday, BluEarth Renewables Inc. CEO Grant Arnold said attendees agreed on some common themes in what he called a constructive environment.
“Everybody seems to see the same thing that we’re seeing at a high level, which is the demand for energy of all kinds is increasing, and the ability to get energy produced or made or projects built to support that has been difficult,” Mr. Arnold said in an interview Monday.
“Everyone had a similar view that we need to increase energy production of all kinds to allow Canada to grow.”
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Mr. Carney said Monday at the first ministers meeting in Saskatoon that the next few months will be critical to his government’s mission of advancing projects in the national interest. His meeting with the country’s premiers focused on fast-tracking major infrastructure and reducing barriers to interprovincial trade.
How to get those projects built formed a large part of Sunday’s discussion, Mr. Arnold said.
Major infrastructure projects will have to meet a range of criteria before they are deemed in the national interest, including strengthening the economy, creating autonomy and resilience, contributing to clean growth and having Indigenous participation. The criteria also include increasing GDP, contributing to job creation and clean growth, and having a high likelihood of execution.
“All of us in the room have to allocate capital and put money at risk to develop different sources of energy or get ready for pipelines and things like that,” Mr. Arnold said.
“It’s really good to have a dialogue to plan constructively for the future, for those of us that put development dollars at risk to support big ideas.”
Vittoria Bellissimo, CEO of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association, said the meeting was cordial, respectful and focused on finding solutions.
“I think everyone tried to put the interest of the country first, and we talked about what it takes to build energy projects in what are uncertain times,” she said in an interview.
The heads of 38 Canadian energy companies wrote to Mr. Carney to urge him to streamline project approvals and ditch emissions policies after his April election win.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Ms. Bellissimo said the message from Mr. Carney was that Ottawa is looking for projects that are able to contribute to clean growth.
But that doesn’t mean projects in the oil and gas sector won’t make the cut, she said. Several were mentioned in the room, including methane emissions reduction projects and carbon capture.
“It wasn’t a photo op, or just a family photo,” she said. “It was a real discussion on real projects and what is needed to do those. The Prime Minister spent two hours listening to industry and talking about possible solutions.”
The oil and gas sector has been vocal in its demands of the federal government under Mr. Carney. Days after his election win, the heads of 38 Canadian energy companies wrote to the Prime Minister to urging him to streamline project approvals and ditch emissions policies.
BluEarth’s Mr. Arnold said he walked out of the room feeling optimistic about what his company, Alberta and the country can do.
And he was encouraged to hear a recognition from oil and gas CEOs that there needs to be an “all of the above approach” to energy security, which includes fossil fuels and renewables.
“We’re all seeing this demand for all kinds of energy increasing, and it’s a real advantage for Canada and it’s a real chance for us to grow our economy,” he said.