OTTAWA – Finance Minister Bill Morneau argues that a $40-billion project to eventually ship liquefied natural gas to Asia from Canada’s west coast shows the country can still get big things done.
The federal Liberals have been facing criticism from some political foes and business leaders over Canada’s regulatory hurdles, including those blamed for holding back the construction of oil pipelines out of Alberta.
Morneau insists work is already underway on the LNG Canada project in British Columbia because efforts were made to listen to people opposed to the venture as well as those advancing it.
LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz says between 2012 and 2018 governments of different stripes — in both Ottawa and B.C. — provided important support for a project that will include an export terminal in Kitimat.
Morneau’s comments come as the government releases a list of the types of projects that will be assessed for their environmental, health, social and economic impacts under Canada’s proposed update of how major new energy projects are evaluated.
He says it’s important for Canada to have a regulatory system that works — and he argues the new environmental assessment law, if adopted, will make the process more collaborative.