When most people think of the oil and gas industry in Canada, they think of the West, of Alberta and the oil sands in particular.
Petroleum is a significant income producer for our province, our families and by extension, our communities. The industry employs approximately 20,000 people. We are the largest producer of crude oil in eastern Canada and the third largest producing province in the country behind only Alberta and Saskatchewan. Petroleum was our largest export in 2023. In January 2024, alone, it has amounted to almost half a billion dollars in exports.
What it really does is phase out Canada’s petroleum industry and establishes retraining programs for those who already have sustainable jobs in the petroleum sector. For Newfoundland and Labrador, it evokes memories of NCARP and TAGS of the 90s, when the groundfish sector collapsed through mismanagement and ecological factors.
As a Senator representing Newfoundland and Labrador, and as the Opposition critic of Bill C-50 in the Senate, I will do everything I can to fight this legislation being advanced by Seamus O’Regan – the Cabinet Minister that represents us.