Pete Hoekstra, the US ambassador to Canada, says he is “very encouraged” by the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on energy between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and believes it will lead to more oil and gas production.Speaking to the National Post, Hoekstra said the MOU “seems to put in place a framework for significantly more oil production and natural gas in Alberta.”“We expect that as that moves forward, that some of that oil, most likely, will be shipped to the United States,” Hoekstra said.His remarks come as the prime minister faces mounting political fallout from the agreement, which commits the federal government to revisiting the federal tanker moratorium off British Columbia’s northwest coast in exchange for Alberta strengthening its industrial carbon tax.Critics of the MOU — such as BC Premier David Eby — argue that no private sector proponent has even proposed building a new pipeline, while some First Nations leaders say they were excluded from negotiations..Guilbeault warns Carney-Smith energy accord won’t decarbonize oil, pipeline 'won't get built' .Carney has already lost one cabinet minister over the energy accord, with former environment minister Steven Guilbeault resigning in protest and warning that the deal undermines national climate policy as well as rolls back clean-energy regulations.Guilbeault also took parting shots at Smith, saying she wasn’t “a reliable partner” in the negotiations and that “a pipeline won't get built.”Despite the backlash, Hoekstra said the US views the MOU as a positive signal.“What the expectations are on oil is that there would be more oil capacity, production and export opportunities down to the United States,” he said.“That’s what we’re looking for.”He also stated that he understands “the possibility that some of that oil will find its way to Asia,” adding that the Trump administration will take no issue with Canada searching for other potential markets and views the Alberta deal as evidence of “synergy” in how the two countries approach energy development and affordability.“Number one, we think it will result in the production of more oil and natural gas,” he said..Abacus poll finds majority of Canadians back Alberta pipeline in Carney-Smith energy accord.The MOU outlines plans to work with the private sector on “one or more” new pipelines, with a priority on opening access to Asian markets for Alberta bitumen.Smith has long argued that Canada must diversify its oil export options, especially amid ongoing tariffs from the Trump administration.She warned earlier this year that without a new pipeline even more Alberta crude will be forced south, limiting Canada’s leverage when the country is looking to expand its trading relations.Most of Canada’s crude — predominantly from Alberta — is already shipped to and refined in the US.Hoekstra said any future US–Canada deal will include oil-related provisions, noting a shared outlook between Carney, who has pledged to make Canada an “energy superpower,” and Trump, who has promised to “drill, baby, drill.”
