Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre blamed the Liberal government’s attack on the oil and gas sector for making Canada vulnerable to President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
As 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports to America are just days away, Poilievre blames the Liberal government’s “radical ideology” for Canada’s weakened position ahead of imminent trade deal talks with the U.S.
During a press conference about Poilievre’s proposed tax cuts for workers and producers, which he’d pay for by “slashing” corporate welfare, Poilievre noted that due to Liberal policies, Canada now heavily relies on the U.S. as its nearly sole customer for oil and gas.
“I think that the first thing that President Trump should do when he gets into the Oval Office is to send a big bouquet of flowers to the Liberal government in Ottawa,” he said at the conference in Delta, B.C.
“By blocking pipelines and LNG plants in Canada, the liberals have forced Canadians to sell almost all of our energy to the United States, giving President Trump massive leverage in making these tariff threats.”
According to the Canada Energy Regulator, crude oil exports amounted to 81% of Canada’s total crude oil production in 2023. Canada exported $124 billion in crude oil exports, of which 97.4% was exported to the U.S.
According to the CER, Canada exported 50% of its total natural gas production in 2021, with 100% of those exports going to the U.S. through pipelines.
Poilievre said that if the Liberals had not flubbed the oil and gas file, Canada would instead be able to sell elsewhere – making Canada less reliant on the U.S. He said that’s what he would have done rather than Canada now talking about potentially crippling its economy by restricting oil and gas exports to the U.S. as a counter to Trump’s tariffs.
He blamed the Liberals for blocking the Energy East and Northern Gateway pipelines and the government’s failure to approve new liquid natural gas plants.
“Had (the Liberals) rapidly approved LNG plants to sell the natural gas that Japan, Greece, Germany and other countries were looking for us to sell them directly, we wouldn’t have to give almost 100% of our hydrocarbons to the Americans at discount prices,” Poilievre said.
In 2012 Gerald Butts, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former principal secretary, opposed the Northern Gateway Pipeline, saying instead of an “alternative route,” Canada needed an “alternative economy.” Butts is now reportedly leading Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney’s campaign.
“Carney testified in the industry committee that he was against the Northern Gateway pipeline to take Canadian oil to Asia without going through the United States, by the way, while his company buys pipelines in the Middle East and in Brazil. How unpatriotic is that?” Poilievre said.
He also took aim at the other likely victor of the ongoing Liberal Leadership race, Chrystia Freeland.
“Freeland supported killing the Energy East Pipeline, which would have moved a million barrels of Western oil to the St John refinery and off to Europe,” he said. “By the way, which would have helped defund Putin.”
He noted that Canada now sells its oil for $15 below the market rate and its natural gas for $9 per million metric British thermal units less than the European market.
“That is economic sadomasochism, and I will put an end to it,” he said.
Poilievre vowed that if he were elected, he would repeal the “anti-energy” law Bill C-69, which added several restrictions in the approval process for new energy projects.
“I will quickly approve energy projects to send our energy to the rest of the world without relying on Americans. And we will make our country more self-reliant and independent. I will also unite our country,” he said.
He said Canada needs an immediate election to have a functioning federal government to deal with the potential trade war with the U.S.
“We do not have a functional federal government. We have effectively 10 different foreign affairs ministers, one from each province, trying to fight separately,” Poilievre said. “If we had a carbon tax election now, we can elect a strong, stable national majority government that would stand up for all Canadians, all industries in all provinces, and that’s what we need to do.”
