Oct 22, 2019
Morneau plans outreach to Saskatchewan, Alberta to address energy concerns
Alberta challenges 'not lost' on Morneau, says outreach needed
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Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he plans to reach out to Western Canada to address the energy sector’s economic shortfalls after the Liberal Party failed to win any seats in Saskatchewan and Alberta during Monday’s federal election.
The Liberal Party won 157 of Canada’s 338 electoral districts last night, losing its majority status in parliament, but gained enough seats to secure a minority government if it can garner any support from smaller parties. The Liberals lost seats it previously held in Saskatchewan and Alberta to the Conservative Party, which won 121 districts, much of it concentrated in Western Canada.
In an interview with BNN Bloomberg on Tuesday, Morneau said the government will continue to work with the energy sector in Saskatchewan and Alberta in a “responsible” way to export resources to international markets.
“We’re going to have to do some real outreach in people in Saskatchewan and Alberta,” Morneau said. “We need to make sure that we get out, we listen to people’s concerns, that we address them, that we recognize the economic challenges in those provinces as a result of the energy sector and the issues that it faces.”
Morneau said the Canadian government will continue to move forward with its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion despite delays amid provincial opposition as well as potential roadblocks from the New Democrat Party and Green Party in the next parliamentary session.
“We’ve moved forward on this project because we know it’s the right thing to do,” Morneau said. “There’s a purpose behind what we set out to do and we’re going to push forward with that continuing objective.”
