Ottawa, ON – Michael Chong, Conservative Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Gérard Deltell, Conservative Shadow Minister for Innovation, Science and Industry, today released the following statement after Liberals voted against a Conservative motion that condemned Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and called on the government to undertake measures to allow Canadian natural gas to be exported to Europe to displace Russian gas:
“Canada’s energy supplies are key to our national security – and that of Europe’s. But today, Liberals voted against a Conservative opposition day motion that called on the Trudeau government to undertake measures to ensure Canadian natural gas can be exported to Europe to displace Russian natural gas.
“During Mr. Trudeau’s recent trip, European leaders raised the prospect of replacing Russian supplied natural gas with Canadian natural gas.
“Russia supplies 40 per cent of Europe’s natural gas and uses this to intimidate Europe and Ukraine. If Russia cuts energy supplies to Europe, people will freeze, factories will shutter, and Europe’s economy will grind to a halt.
“NATO allies like Germany understand the urgency of weaning Europe off Russian gas. Germany has expedited the construction of two new LNG terminals on their northern coast to reduce dependence on Russian gas imports.
“There is no reason that the Putin regime should be allowed to blackmail our European allies. Canada is the fifth-largest natural gas producer in the world, but we cannot get gas to tidewater to assist European democracies because we cannot get pipelines built.
“Getting Canadian natural gas to tidewater is vital to Canada’s security. It’s vital to our economy. In the face of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, it’s vital to Europe’s defense and security. Getting more low-carbon natural gas to market is also consistent with our environmental goals in the transition to non-emitting sources of energy.
“Conservatives will continue to propose strong, constructive measures to counter Russia’s aggression and to support Ukraine. We call on the government to fulfill Canada’s NATO defence commitments in the upcoming budget and at this week’s NATO summit. We call on the government to acknowledge that Canada’s energy supplies are vital to our security and that of Europe’s. And we urge the Trudeau government to work more closely with NATO allies, particularly on energy security.”
