As a Senator from Alberta and a member of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources, I have been weighing carefully a response to the disappointing, but unsurprising, news of President Biden’s cancellation of Keystone XL.

I have long been on the public record supporting this project - long before I became a Senator, in fact. But because of the ad hoc way the pipeline was approved by the previous administration, it was peculiarly vulnerable to an equally ad hoc cancellation by the new US govt.

As I’ve written before, I believe responsibly built and maintained pipelines are essential infrastructure for Canada’s economic future - if those pipelines are built after meaningful consultation. https://albertaviews.ca/fates-intertwined/

I’m grateful, as an Albertan, that TMX is going ahead - after lengthy community consultation and rigorous environmental assessment. Unfortunately, Keystone became so politicized, such a highly charged partisan hot potato, the very real arguments in its favour got swamped.

All that said - I believe in free trade. Trade sanctions, which may not be viable under CUSMA, seem to me an unlikely way to chance hearts and minds in the Biden administration, and could end up having a ricochet affect on Canada’s own economy.

I hope that Prime Minister Trudeau may have better luck with a diplomatic solution. Either way - this is a moment when Canadians need to unite to find new ways to get our oil to market - and new ways to diversify our energy economy, and Alberta’s economy overall.

We need to adapt to changing market conditions and changing political climates. We need to be thinking about other ways to deploy our resources- ways such as blue hydrogen, for example.

But for tonight, I think it’s natural to mourn the jobs and opportunities lost - and at the same time hope that a new American govt may prove a more reliable trading partner for Canada in the long run.

In the days ahead, I encourage Prime Minister Trudeau to argue persuasively in defence of Canada’s energy sector, and to point out the strides Canada and Alberta have taken to reduce GHG emissions and to meet our climate obligations.

I hope our two countries can be strong economic allies and strong allies in the fight against climate change, too.