In the past several years, weak or incompetent leadership has led to zero major pipelines built in Canada. Weak leadership considering no political leader in Canada had the spine to push through projects that were positive for the country. Instead they crumble to the wishes of radical activists because most politicians are uncomfortable offending that fringe group. Incompetency is evident when politicians oppose oil and gas pipelines, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, or when they engage in a gross amount of excessive consultation–which almost always leads to no action.
This is where Canada sits right now. Weak and incompetent leadership. Prime Minister Trudeau has said he will approve a whopping ONE pipeline during his term, and you can bet the pipeline will move straight into the crosshairs of eco activists. That will lead to more consultation, less action…same song different beat.
However, pipelines through the United States are equally impactful as Canadian pipelines. Keystone XL would be a huge win and seemed like a slam dunk. Unfortunately President Obama’s incompetency led to a fact-free, emotionally charged veto. Hillary Clinton has also come out against the pipeline.
So at this point, who is the only person who would approve a Canadian pipeline and has the willpower to push it through and see it to completion? Donald Trump. He would approve Keystone, and it will finally have a chance of getting built. It might not sound pretty to a lot of people but as mentioned in an earlier BOE Report column, Donald Trump could be the best thing to happen to Canada’s oil and gas industry.
Hopefully, this will cause Premier Notley and the NDP to change their view about the Keystone XL pipeline. Currently they are opposed to its construction – which is nonsensical and a radical viewpoint, especially considering they are the party governing Alberta. But if they do change their minds, and Trump wins the election, Canada will finally get its pipeline. If not, the next Alberta provincial election is in 2019 and the next US Presidential election is in 2020.