I recently had the chance to criss-cross the Bow River riding, which is roughly the size of New Brunswick. I hosted many community roundtables, met with many municipal/local officials, held consultations at seniors centres, and spoke to dozens of constituents. One of the common themes that was touched on at most meetings was the state of Alberta and Canada’s economy. The price of oil has hurt our oil and gas sector considerably, and to make matters worse, our federal Liberal government is not giving enough support to this crucial sector. Recently, they added new layers of bureaucracy to the pipeline review process. Unfortunately, this new layer of bureaucracy means very long delays for approval, that would take possibly many years, if ever, to get the green light. Take the Energy East project for example. This project would require no money from the taxpayer, it would translate into jobs for Canadians by private sector investment. There is already a strong regulatory process for pipelines through the National Energy Board process. There’s no reason why this project should be held up.
I was able to make a statement in the House of Commons about the newly started Oil Respect Campaign, which has been gaining traction in communities across Canada. The campaign, sponsored by the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC), aims to shed light on this industry, and about the hardworking men and women that it employs. One of the main roles of the Oil Respect campaign is to point out the inaccuracies about their industry that are often promulgated by mainstream media sources and by groups with special interests that are anti-oil sands. Thankfully, the Oil Respect Campaign is able to counter many of these inaccuracies with solid facts. There are dozens of small businesses in our region that rely on the oil and gas sector. On top of the low oil prices and the low dollar, what we need is a supportive federal government that assists the industry, as opposed to a government that slaps more regulation on major project approvals. The Conservatives will continue to stand up for our hard-working oil and gas sector, and will continue to pressure the Liberals to show our working families the respect they deserve. I am very proud of our industry, and will continue to remind folks that we have one of the most environmentally sustainable and strongest regulatory systems in the world.
I thank you for your continued support, and as always I welcome your questions and comments. You can contact my Brooks office at 1-844-241-0020 or martin.shields.c1@parl.gc.ca , my Ottawa office at 613-992-0761 or martin.shields@parl.gc.ca. I invite you to visit my website at www.martinshieldsbowriver.ca.
