Ottawa, ON — Greg McLean, Conservative Shadow Minister for Natural Resources, and Larry Maguire, Vice Chair of the Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement upon the tabling of the Committee report, Study of Methane Reduction Plans: Emissions Reduction Fund Onshore Program Review:
“Canada’s oil and gas sector produces the energy the world wants and needs, with the highest level of environmental and social responsibility. This committee report clearly shows an industry that is a leader in reducing emissions, while growing production and providing jobs and taxes for the benefit of Canadians.
“Production has grown by 169 per cent for oil and 58 per cent for natural gas over three decades while showing total methane reductions of 4 per cent. This indicates that the industry is focused on successful emissions reductions, to the benefit of Canadians’ outcomes and the world’s environmental goals.
“Methane emissions in 2020 attributable to the oil and gas sector have decreased by 11 per cent from 2019, while oil and gas production decreased by 4 per cent due to the economic effects of the COVID pandemic. The excess reduction of 7 per cent is indicative of an industry that is at the forefront of meeting challenges with respect to the environmental outcomes of its production while meeting an essential public need.
“We recognize that outcomes matter – and the Emissions Reduction Fund has appeared to help demonstrate the lowering of emissions produced by Canada’s oil and gas industry.
“Conservatives also tabled a dissenting report, which includes a recommendation to define ‘inefficient subsidy’, a term which has been vaguely used to mislead Canadians about Canada’s highest tax-paying industry. Although it may be used when defining taxpayer subsidies for all energy sources, it appears other parties would prefer to leave the term undefined to continue to misrepresent Canada’s largest private-sector investor in the Canadian economy.
“Conservatives will continue to support Canada’s world-class energy sector and its continuing path toward lowering emissions while providing jobs and revenue that benefits all Canadians.”
The Committee report can be found here.
