Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has pledged to adopt all five policy recommendations put forward by Canada’s energy sector, signalling a major push to end what he calls the country’s unhealthy reliance on US markets.
In a challenge to Mark Carney, Poilievre urged Carney to abandon his “keep it in the ground” philosophy and commit to advancing Canada’s energy independence.
Poilievre argues that the federal Liberal government has overseen what the Conservative leader describes as a “Lost Liberal Decade” of project cancellations, regulatory bottlenecks, and lost economic opportunities.
At a news conference, Poilievre vowed that a new Conservative government would move quickly to repeal restrictive laws, accelerate project approvals, and encourage indigenous partnerships in the energy sector.
“We need to get out from under America’s thumb and start building the infrastructure that is essential to sell our natural resources to new markets, bring home jobs and dollars, and make us sovereign and self-reliant to stand up to Trump from a position of strength,” said Poilievre.
“Canada’s energy sector, the experts on energy growth, have told us what we need to do. Today I am committing to meeting all of their urgent recommendations. Meanwhile, Mark Carney has spent the last five years advising Trudeau on killing energy projects and said that ‘maybe as much as half of oil reserves, proven oil reserves need to stay in the ground.’”
Poilievre argues that Carney’s proposed policies pose a significant risk of Canada’s economic stagnation by resisting the growth of a resource-rich economy.
Canada’s energy exports remain largely tied to the US, with 98% of Canadian crude oil going there.
Poilievre says this leaves the country vulnerable to US political shifts and undermines Canadian sovereignty in the global energy market.
Poilievre’s comments come as his party raises concerns over Canada’s declining economic competitiveness.
Citing World Bank statistics, the Conservatives note that Canada has dropped to twenty-third in the Ease of Doing Business Index for 2024, down from sixteenth in 2015.
Between 2015 and 2020, Canada cancelled 16 major energy projects, a move Poilievre blames for a $176 billion hit to the Canadian economy.
He points to what he calls “Liberal red tape” for making it nearly impossible to construct new pipelines, mines, and other key infrastructure in a reasonable time frame.
“Under my leadership, a new Conservative government will listen to our energy producers, the men and women who build the infrastructure and sell the oil and gas that drives our economy, and immediately repeal Liberal anti-growth laws and slash costly red tape so we can approve resource projects and quickly build the energy infrastructure we need to unleash our economy and make Canada strong and free again,” said Poilievre.
The five recommendations, which Poilievre has pledged to adopt, include repealing Bill C-69 “No-New-Pipelines” legislation and lifting the West Coast tanker ban (Bill C-48).
These measures, he says, will enable Canada to build new pipelines and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals to tap into international markets and reduce dependence on the US.
The Conservatives would also set a six-month target for project approvals, scrap the federal “energy cap,” and eliminate the industrial carbon tax law, which currently forces provinces to impose their own industrial carbon taxes.
According to Poilievre, these changes would ease financial burdens on Canadian industries and draw investment back to the country.
He asserts that Carney’s support for stricter carbon taxes would only drive costs higher.
A key part of Poilievre’s plan is establishing the Canadian Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (CIOC), modelled under the First Nations Financial Management Act.
Led by indigenous people, the CIOC would provide loan guarantees for energy and other major resource projects in First Nations communities.
Poilievre portrays this approach as a break from what he calls the “paternalistic, Ottawa-knows-best” model, arguing that it would give indigenous communities meaningful stakes in projects and revenues.
Carney, a former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, has not explicitly responded to Poilievre’s demand to back the energy sector’s five-point plan.
However, Carney has spoken out on climate change, expressing concern about over-reliance on fossil fuels and advocating for sustainable finance.
Conservatives say he has had ample opportunity to reverse his “keep it in the ground” position, but remains committed to measures that would cut Canadian resource development.
Poilievre, eager to show the differences between his platform and Carney’s ideas, insists that a fourth term under the Liberals would keep Canada on a path of economic stagnation.
He says it’s Carney’s turn to say whether he supports the energy sector’s solutions or intends to maintain a stance that Poilievre describes as harmful to national interests.
If the Conservatives form government, Poilievre promises to approve new pipelines to both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, swiftly move on LNG projects, and focus on forging partnerships with indigenous communities.
By doing so, he says, Canada would reassert control over its economic future and no longer have to worry about shifting moods in Washington.