Ottawa must end disastrous energy policies to keep pace with U.S.

This negative perception of Canada’s regulatory environment is hardly a surprise, given Ottawa’s policies over the last decade.

During last night’s Liberal leadership debate, there was a lot of talk about Donald Trump. But whatever your views on President Trump, one thing is certain—he’s revitalized his country’s energy sector. Through a set of executive orders, Trump instructed agency heads to identify “actions that impose an undue burden on the identification, development, or use of domestic energy source” and “exercise any lawful emergency authorities available” to facilitate energy production and transportation. In other words, let’s become an energy superpower.

Clearly, to avoid falling further behind, Canada must swiftly end policies that unduly restrict oil and gas production and discourage investment. Change can’t come soon enough.

Before Trump’s inauguration, red tape was already hindering Canada’s oil and gas sector, which was less attractive for investment compared to the United States. According to a survey conducted in 2023, , 68 per cent of oil and gas investors said uncertainty about environmental regulations deterred investment in Canada’s oil and gas sector compared to 41 per cent in the U.S. Similarly, 54 per cent said Canada’s regulatory duplication and inconsistencies deterred investment compared to only 34 per cent for the U.S. And 55 per cent of respondents said that uncertainty regarding the enforcement of existing regulations in Canada deterred investment compared to only 37 per cent of respondents for the U.S.

This negative perception of Canada’s regulatory environment is hardly a surprise, given Ottawa’s policies over the last decade. For example, one year after taking office, in 2016 the Trudeau government cancelled the previously approved $7.9 billion Northern Gateway pipeline, which was designed to transport crude oil from Alberta to British Columbia’s coast, expanding Canada’s access to Asian markets.

In 2017, Prime Minister Trudeau undermined the long-term confidence in the sector by vowing to “phase out” fossil fuels in Canada.

In 2019, the Trudeau government passed Bill C-69, introducing subjective criteria including the “gender implications” of energy investment into the evaluation process of major energy projects, causing massive uncertainty around the development of new projects.

Also that year, the government enacted Bill C-48, which bans large oil tankers from B.C.’s northern coast, limiting Canadian exports to Asia.

In 2023, the Trudeau government announced plans to cap greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the oil and gas sector at 35 per cent below 2019 levels by 2030—an arbitrary measure considering GHG emissions from other sectors in the economy were left untouched. According to a recent report, to comply with the cap, Canadian firms must severely curtail oil and gas production. As one might expect, these policies come at a cost. Over the last decade, investment in Canada’s oil and gas sector has collapsed by 56 per cent, from $84.0 billion in 2014 to $37.2 billion in 2023 (inflation adjusted). Less investment means less funding for new energy projects, technologies and infrastructure, and fewer job opportunities and economic opportunities for Canadians nationwide.

The energy gap between the U.S. and Canada is set to grow wider during President Trump’s second term. While Trump wants to attract investment to the American oil and gas industry by streamlining processes and cutting costs, Canada is driving investment away with costly and often arbitrary measures. If Ottawa continues on its current path, Canada’s leading industry—and its largest source of exports—will lose more ground to the U.S. When Parliament reconvenes, policymakers must move quickly to eliminate harmful policies hindering our energy sector.

Julio Mejía

Policy Analyst

Elmira Aliakbari

Director, Natural Resource Studies, Fraser Institute

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Trump: Tariffs on Canada, Mexico to take effect next week

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Trump: Tariffs on Canada, Mexico to take effect next week

Published on February 26, 2025

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MxM News

Quick Hit:

President Donald Trump confirmed that a 25 percent tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico will take effect next week. The move is intended to pressure the neighboring countries to take stronger measures against undocumented migration and fentanyl trafficking into the U.S. Despite discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump stated the tariffs will proceed as scheduled.

Key Details:

The tariffs were initially set for February 4 but were delayed by 30 days following conversations with Trudeau and Sheinbaum.
Trump emphasized the need for “reciprocal” tariffs, stating the U.S. has been “mistreated very badly” by many countries.
Canada and Mexico have threatened to retaliate if the tariffs are implemented, which could impact over $900 billion in U.S. imports.

Diving Deeper:

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that his administration will move forward with imposing a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican goods, effective next week. The decision aims to pressure the two countries into taking stronger actions to curb undocumented migration and fentanyl trafficking into the United States.

Speaking at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump stated, “The tariffs are going forward on time, on schedule.” This declaration comes as the new deadline approaches on March 4, after an initial delay of 30 days from February 4, following phone conversations with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

During the press conference, Trump emphasized the broader issue of tariff reciprocity, claiming, “We’ve been mistreated very badly by many countries, not just Canada and Mexico.” He stressed the need for fairness in international trade, stating, “All we want is reciprocal. We want reciprocity. We want the same.”

Although Trump did not explicitly mention fentanyl or migration in his remarks, his statements apply additional pressure on Canada and Mexico to address his administration’s concerns. According to the White House, Trudeau informed Trump on Saturday that Canada has achieved a 90 percent reduction in fentanyl crossing the U.S. Northern Border and that Canada’s Border Czar will visit the U.S. next week for further discussions.

Together, Canada and Mexico account for more than $900 billion in U.S. imports, including vehicles, auto parts, and agricultural products. Both countries have indicated that they will retaliate if the tariffs are imposed. In a concession to inflation concerns, Trump noted that energy imports from Canada would face a lower tariff rate of 10 percent.

The move underscores Trump’s continued focus on securing U.S. borders and achieving trade reciprocity, while also setting the stage for potential trade conflicts with America’s closest trading partners.

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Liberal leadership debate sees candidates bash Trump, promise to fight ‘climate change’

Published on February 25, 2025

Todayville

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Monday’s debate saw candidates Chrystia Freeland, Mark Carney and others accuse U.S. President Donald Trump of being the nation’s biggest threat while also restating their commitment to fighting ‘climate change.’

The first debate among Liberal leadership hopefuls Monday night saw the candidates focus heavily on bashing U.S. President Donald Trump, with all in the running also pledging their commitment to fighting “climate change.”

The French language debate, held in Montreal, saw frontrunner Mark Carney, former Finance Minister Chyrstia Freeland, and the two other lesser-known candidates, former House leader Karina Gould and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis, debate for two hours on a variety of topics, with Trump-bashing taking center stage. Freeland and Carney in particular, both of whom have ties to the globalist World Economic Forum, claimed Trump is the biggest threat Canada has faced in decades.

When asked about Trump’s ongoing threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian goods at the start of March, Carney said, “Today’s Trump is very different from the Trump of the past,” asserting he is “more aggressive” than ever and that “he wants our country.”

Carney, who has a history of pushing the climate change narrative, was asked about his recent comments suggesting he would use emergency powers to combat Trump’s tariff threats by green-lighting energy projects in an attempt to make Canada less dependent on its neighbor to the south.

In response, Carney, whose proficiency in French seemed weaker than the others, appeared to hold back on committing to the building of pipelines from Alberta to Eastern Canada, but saying that such a project could be “possible.”

“70% of our oil comes from the U.S., our neighbor. No longer our friend, of course,” he added.

For Freeland’s part, she claimed that “Trump represents the greatest threat to Canada since World War II,” later boasting that she is the “only” one who could take on Trump via negotiation.

All the candidates said they “completely agree” that Trump is Canada’s largest “threat,” and all took turns bashing their biggest political rival, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, labeling him incompetent.

The leadership candidates also all agreed that “fighting” climate change was a priority but did not elaborate on what they would do differently than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom they all praised for his “climate” leadership. Carney and Freeland, both of whom have long supported carbon taxes, vowed to eliminate the consumer carbon tax despite standing by it for years.     

Freeland is known by many as being the finance minister responsible for freezing the bank accounts of the 2022 Freedom Convoy participants and donors, actions Carney endorsed at the time.

Carney also recently admitted to being a “globalist” and an “elitist,” but defended the labels as positives.

The Liberal Party of Canada will choose its next leader, who will automatically become prime minister, on March 9, after Trudeau announced that he plans to step down as Liberal Party leader once a new leader has been chosen.

With respect to Trump, he has mentioned multiple times that he desires to annex Canada and turn it into a state.

Trump’s talk of taking over Canada by economic force comes at the same time he has threatened to impose massive tariffs on the nation.

Canada was given a 30-day reprieve from 25 percent tariffs by Trump at the end of January after Trudeau promised in a call to increase border security and crack down on fentanyl at the border. However, Trump has imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum products.