OTTAWA — Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner says Alberta remains deeply skeptical of the Liberal government's pipeline promises, arguing trust will only return once construction is underway.Asked Tuesday whether Prime Minister Mark Carney's agreement with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to advance a new pipeline had changed the mood in the province, the Calgary MP said years of federal policy have left Albertans unconvinced."There's not a lot of trust with this federal government broadly among Albertans because of the last decade of federal policy," Rempel Garner said.She argued the Liberals have yet to remove what she described as major barriers to investment in Canada's energy sector, pointing to legislation such as Bills C-69 and C-48."The government... hasn't signalled that they're going to get rid of some of the broader impediments to investment in the energy sector," she said. Rempel Garner said many in Alberta worry the agreement announced by Carney and Smith could become "a process for a process" rather than leading to actual construction."The job for the Liberals at this point is to actually put shovels in the ground," she said."An agreement to agree is not a shovel in the ground, and trust will come when there's actual construction." .Questioned about whether it is realistic for Canada to approve and build a major pipeline in roughly 18 months, Rempel Garner rejected suggestions that the country's regulatory system makes that impossible."I have to believe in our country," she said."Why can't we be the best in the world? Why can't we respect consultation? Why can't we attract capital? Why can't we do all of these things?" She acknowledged Indigenous consultation and provincial jurisdictions remain part of the process, but argued other democratic countries complete major energy projects more quickly than Canada."There are other democracies around the world who are getting the job done a lot quicker than we are," she said."So it is my job and the job of the Official Opposition to demand better." Rempel Garner said Conservatives will continue pressing the government to deliver on its commitments rather than announcing new agreements."If the status quo isn't cutting it, then maybe the status quo should be changed," she said. "That is what I hope the Liberals will do and what I will be pushing them to do with my colleagues this fall."
