The recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Ottawa and Alberta is a major welcome shift. After 10 years of stalled projects and lost opportunities, seeing this agreement develop is a clear step forward. It confirms that Canadian oil and natural gas are once again recognized as strategic assets for our economy and quality of life.
But there’s much more work to be done.
Around the world, oil and gas consumption is growing – not disappearing. In a major shift from just two years ago, the International Energy Agency’s latest “Current Policies” outlook shows demand for both fuels rising through 2050. Billions of people are striving for higher living standards, and that takes energy. If Canada does not help meet that growing demand, other producers will – and Canadians will be no better off for it.
At the same time, Canada’s economy is under real pressure. Labour productivity and GDP growth per capita are lagging. Shifting U.S. trade policy is shedding jobs in critical industries such as forestry, steel and automotive. Families are feeling the squeeze from higher costs on everything from groceries to housing. Today, the revenues, jobs and investment that flow from resource development, such as pipelines, are not a “nice to have” – they are essential.
Energy pays the bills for Canadians. Oil and gas accounted for 21 per cent of our exports in 2024, helping to pay for our imported goods and services. These revenues help fund the hospitals, schools and social programs we rely on in every province and territory.
Every pipeline expansion that gets our energy resources to market is a win for Canadians. New capacity means we are less captive to a single customer, can sell into more competitive markets and earn a better price.
We cannot afford to return to the days when Canadian oil sold at the world’s steepest discount, costing governments billions in lost revenue and undermining confidence in Canada as a place to invest.
The Ottawa–Alberta MOU acknowledges this history and the stakes. It recognizes that we need pipelines to compete globally, attract capital and create the revenues we need. It also signals something we have not seen in a decade: the possibility of a more collaborative, practical approach to building the infrastructure required to secure our economic future.
But again, talking about a new pipeline is not enough. We need concrete action.
That means aligning policy and regulation so projects can move from concept to construction without years of unnecessary delay. It means making Canada the best place on earth to invest in natural resource development by providing clarity, stability and a warm welcome to proponents who want to create jobs in our communities. It means recognizing the immense economic benefits of pipelines – as the Trans Mountain Expansion has already shown – ripple far beyond any single region of the country.
New pipelines drive billions of dollars in capital investment, create good-paying careers in the skilled trades and beyond, and increase the energy and export revenues that fund the social programs we all rely on. Rural Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities alike can share in the opportunities that come with building and owning critical infrastructure.
Let’s stop settling for missed opportunities and start building the pipelines, power lines, ports, railways, and roads that will bring about prosperity for generations to come.
Oil and gas pays the bills for Canadians – and with the right choices, it can power a new era of shared prosperity no matter where you live across our great country.
