We've been knowingly compromising our energy sovereignty for generations for economic and 'easy button' reasons.
Keep your elbows up as much as you like, but we'll probably be relying on US pipelines etc. for ... forever....
‘Big vulnerability’: How Ontario and Quebec became reliant on the U.S. for oil and gas
ARC Energy Institute leaders highlight the need for a new approach in a new reality
Despite Canada’s status as one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers, more than half of the country’s own population does not have true energy security – uninterrupted, reliable access to the energy they need at an affordable price.
Even though Western Canada produces much of the oil consumed in Ontario and Quebec, in order to get there, it moves on pipelines that run through the United States.
“It’s only energy secure if the Americans are our partners and friends,” leading energy researcher Jackie Forrest said on a
recent episode of the ARC Energy Ideas podcast.
Amid rising trade tensions with the United States, energy security is taking on greater importance. But Forrest said the issue is not well understood across Canada.
“The concern is that in the worst-case scenario where the Americans want to really hurt our country, they have the ability to stop all crude oil flows to Ontario,” she said.
That action would also cut off the majority of oil supply to Quebec.
The issue isn’t much better for natural gas, with about half of consumption in Ontario and Quebec supplied by producers in the U.S.
“Tariffs or no tariffs, there is a real vulnerability there,” said Forrest’s co-host Peter Tertzakian, founder of the ARC Energy Research Institute.
The issue won’t go away with increased use of new technology like electric cars, he said.
“This isn’t just about combustion in engines. It’s about securing a vital commodity that is an input into other parts of our manufacturing and sophisticated economy.”
ARC Energy Institute leaders highlight the need for a new approach in a new reality
www.canadianenergycentre.ca
