Trump’s promises should prompt major rethink of Canadian energy policy

In three weeks, the United States will have a new president. And despite Donald Trump’s pledge to “unleash” the American oil and gas sector by cutting red tape and accelerating permit approvals, the Trudeau government remains committed to constraining Canada’s oil and gas industry. The result? More investment to the U.S. and less to Canada. To prevent Canada from falling further behind the U.S., the government must reverse harmful policies that drive investors away.

Even before Trump’s victory, Canada’s oil and gas sector was less attractive for investment compared to the U.S. According to a 2023 survey of oil and gas investors, 68 per cent of respondents said uncertainty about environmental regulations deters investment in Canada’s oil and gas sector compared to 41 per cent in the U.S. And 54 per cent said Canada’s regulatory duplication and inconsistencies deter investment compared to only 34 per cent for the U.S.

This negative perception reflects years of policy decisions that have consistently undermined Canada’s oil and gas industry. To name a few.

In 2016, just one year after taking office, the Trudeau government cancelled the Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s coast. The $7.9 billion project, previously approved by the Harper government, would have expanded market access and boosted exports to Asia.

In 2017, the TransCanada energy company withdrew its application for the Energy East and Eastern Mainline pipelines from Alberta and Saskatchewan to the east coast, which would have expanded access to European markets. The projects became economically unfeasible after the Trudeau government required the company to account for greenhouse gas emissions from oil production and consumption—not just transportation, a requirement that was never part of prior environmental assessments. (Incidentally, that same year Prime Minister Trudeau vowed to “phase out” fossil fuels in Canada.)

In 2019, the Trudeau government enacted Bill C-69, which introduced subjective criteria—including the “social impact” and “gender implications” of projects—into the evaluation of major energy projects, creating significant uncertainty. That same year, the government passed Bill C-48, which bans large oil tankers from B.C.’s northern coast, further limiting access to Asian markets.

In 2023, the Trudeau government announced plans to cap oil and gas sector emissions at 35 per cent below 2019 levels by 2030—while leaving other sectors in the economy untouched. This will likely force energy producers to limit production. And the government’s new methane regulations and rules, which require fuel producers to reduce emissions, have added to the sector’s costs and regulatory challenges.

Predictably, these policy decisions have taken a toll. Investment in the oil and gas sector plummeted over the last decade, from $84.0 billion in 2014 to $37.2 billion in 2023 (inflation adjusted)—a 56 per cent drop. Less investment means less money to develop new energy projects, infrastructure and technologies, and consequently fewer jobs and less economic opportunity for Canadians across the country, especially in Alberta, which has been a destination for workers seeking high wages and more opportunity.

Now in 2025, Trump wants to attract investment by streamlining processes and cutting costs while Canada drives investment away with restrictive and costly regulations. If Ottawa continues on this path, Canada’s leading industry—and largest source of exports—will lose more ground to the U.S. To restore our competitiveness and attract investment, the federal government must rethink its approach to the energy sector and scrap the harmful policies that will hurt Canadians today and in the future.

Elmira Aliakbari

Director, Natural Resource Studies, Fraser Institute

Julio Mejía

Policy Analyst

Related Topics:#DonaldTrump #ElmiraAliakbari #FraserInstitute #JulioMejía #USEnergyPolicy CanadianEnergyPolicy feature

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Gwyn Morgan: Natural Gas – Not Nuclear – Is the Key to Powering North America’s Future

Published on January 4, 2025

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From the C2C Journal

By Gwyn Morgan

After decades on the outs with environmentalists and regulators, nuclear power is being heralded as a key component for a “net zero” future of clean, reliable energy. Its promise is likely to fall short, however, due to some hard realities. As North America grapples with the challenge of providing secure, affordable and sustainable energy amidst soaring electricity demand, it is time to accept this fact: natural gas remains the most practical solution for powering our grid and economy.

Nuclear power’s limitations are rooted in its costs, risks and delays. Even under ideal circumstances, building or restarting a nuclear facility is arduous. Consider Microsoft’s much-publicized plan to restart the long-dormant Unit 1 reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. This project is lauded as proof of an incipient “nuclear revival”, but despite leveraging existing infrastructure it will cost US$1.6 billion and take four years to bring online.

This is not a unique case. Across North America, nuclear energy projects face monumental lead times. The new generation of small modular reactors (SMRs), often touted as a game-changer, is still largely theoretical. In Canada – Alberta in particular – discussions around SMRs have been ongoing for years, with no concrete progress. The most optimistic projections estimate the first SMR in Western Canada might be operational by 2034.

The reality is that nuclear energy cannot scale quickly enough to meet urgent electricity needs. Canada’s power grid is already strained, and electricity demand is set to grow significantly, driven by electric vehicles and enormous data centres for AI applications. Nuclear power, even if expanded aggressively, cannot fill the gap within the necessary timeframes.

Natural gas, by contrast, is abundant, flexible, low-risk – and highly affordable. It accounts for 40 percent of U.S. electricity generation and plays a critical role in Canada’s energy mix. Unlike nuclear, natural gas infrastructure can be built rapidly, ensuring that new capacity comes online when it’s needed – not decades later. Gas-fired plants are cost-effective and capable of providing consistent, large-scale power while being capable of rapid starts and shut-downs, making them suitable for meeting both base-load and “peaking” power demands.

Climate-related concerns surrounding natural gas need to be put in perspective. Natural gas is the lowest-emission fossil fuel and produces less than half the carbon dioxide of coal per unit of energy output. It is also highly adaptable, supporting renewable energy integration by compensating for the intermittency of wind and solar power.

Nuclear energy advocates frequently highlight its zero-emission credentials, yet they overlook its immense challenges, not just the front-end problems of high cost and long lead times, but ongoing waste disposal and future decommissioning.

Natural gas, by comparison, presents fewer risks. Its production and distribution systems are well-established, and North America is uniquely positioned to benefit from the vast reserves underlying all three countries on the continent. Despite low prices and ever-increasing regulatory obstacles, Canada’s natural gas production has been setting new records.

Streamlining regulatory processes and expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity would help revive Canada’s battered economy, with plenty of natural gas left over to help meet growing domestic electricity needs.

Critics argue that investing in natural gas is at odds with the “energy transition” to a glorious net zero future, but this oversimplifies the related challenges and ignores hard realities. By reducing reliance on dirtier fuels like coal, natural gas can help lower a country’s greenhouse gas emissions while providing the reliability needed to support economic growth and renewable energy integration.

Europe’s energy crisis following the recent reduction of Russian gas imports underscores natural gas’s vital role in maintaining reliable electricity supplies. As nations like Germany still phase out nuclear power due to the sheer blind ideology of their left-wing parties, they’re growing more dependent on natural gas to keep the lights (mostly) on and the factories (partially) humming.

Europe is already a destination for LNG exported from the U.S. Gulf Coast, and American LNG exports will soon resume growth under the incoming Trump Administration. Canada has the resources and know-how to similarly scale up its LNG exports; all we need is a supportive federal government.

For all its theoretical benefits, nuclear power remains impractical for meeting immediate and medium-term energy demands. Its high costs, lengthy timelines and significant remaining public opposition make it unlikely to serve as North America’s energy backbone.

Natural gas, on the other hand, is affordable, scalable and reliable. It is the fuel that powers industries, keeps homes warm and provides the stability our electricity grid needs – whether or not we ever transition to “net zero”. By prioritizing investment in natural gas infrastructure and expanding its use, we can meet today’s energy challenges head-on while laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s innovations.

The original, full-length version of this article was recently published in C2C Journal.

Gwyn Morgan is a retired business leader who was a director of five global corporations.

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