OTTAWA — Federal environment officials privately told cabinet that Canada produces some of the cleanest oil and gas in the world, according to briefing notes prepared just weeks before Ottawa moved to expand Alberta oil exports and ease long-standing restrictions on pipelines and tankers.Blacklock's Reporter says the September 19 briefing for Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin said global demand for fossil fuels is expected to persist for years despite a global shift toward lower carbon energy. The note argued Canada is well positioned to benefit if it focuses on cutting emissions while continuing production.“Although the world is on a low carbon trajectory, fossil fuel demand is expected to continue for several years,” the department wrote, adding demand could peak within a decade. With the right focus on decarbonization and avoiding long-term high-emitting technology, Canada could “produce among the cleanest oil and gas products in the world” while maintaining social licence.A companion briefing painted a less flattering picture of Canada’s overall emissions record. The document ranked Canada as the world’s 11th highest emitter on a per-capita basis and described emissions reductions as a “moral obligation..The briefing estimated Canadian emissions at 20.4 tonnes per person, trailing only energy-heavy states such as Qatar, Bahrain, Brunei, Trinidad and Tobago, Kuwait, Mongolia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Australia.Both internal notes were dated weeks before cabinet announced a Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding on November 27 aimed at boosting oil exports. At the time, Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed the deal as a win for both the province and the country.The memorandum proposed licensing a new pipeline from Alberta to the British Columbia coast, increasing exports by roughly one million barrels per day. Cabinet also agreed in principle to suspend enforcement of Clean Electricity Regulations that cap emissions from coal- and natural-gas-fired power generation, pending a new carbon pricing deal, and committed to repealing a West Coast tanker ban enacted by Parliament in 2019..The sudden policy shift triggered the resignation of Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault and sparked a political fight in the House of Commons. Liberal MPs later voted 196 to 139 against a Conservative motion calling for support for new pipeline construction.Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre accused the government of inconsistency, questioning whether the Prime Minister’s support for pipelines depends on the province he is standing in at the time.
