Countries around the world are calling for more Canadian energy — and it is time for Canada to step up.
In a new Calgary Herald opinion piece, Energy Connections Canada Executive Director Evan Bahry writes that Alberta is home to some of the world’s largest reserves of some of the world’s most valuable commodities — and our trading partners know it.
Over the past several months, countries including South Korea, India, China, the United Kingdom, Germany and others have been asking Alberta and the federal government for Canadian energy. The most significant barrier to Canada’s ability to answer that call is our approach to energy regulation.
The piece points to major pipeline projects, including Energy East and Northern Gateway, that could have been in operation today but were instead cancelled. It also notes that the Trans Mountain Expansion Project took 11 years to move from application to operation.
Bahry contrasts today’s regulatory environment with the Alliance Pipeline Project, a 3,800-kilometre natural gas pipeline from northeast British Columbia to just outside Chicago. The project filed its application to the National Energy Board in June 1997 and was approved in November 1998 — a 16-month review process. Alliance Pipeline began operations in 2001 and continues to be an example of safe, Canadian-built energy infrastructure quietly doing its job.
Since then, Canada’s pipeline expertise has only improved, with technological advancements, stronger construction methods, more sophisticated mitigation measures, and increasingly mature engagement with Indigenous communities. That engagement can include employment opportunities, contracting with Indigenous businesses, capacity building, and equity ownership.
At the same time, Canada’s federal regulatory regime has become more complex, with major projects often requiring approvals from multiple federal entities, including the Impact Assessment Agency, the Canada Energy Regulator, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and others.
ECC supports a more efficient and predictable approach to major project reviews. Regulatory efficiency can coexist with Indigenous engagement, environmental protection, and strong safety standards. Removing duplicative assessments, sequential permitting, and unclear timelines can improve investor confidence and help Alberta and other Canadian provinces unlock their energy potential.
Canada has an opportunity to help meet global demand for responsibly produced energy, strengthen energy security in Europe and Asia, support partners working to reduce reliance on coal-fired power, create jobs, advance innovation, and rebuild economic capacity across the country.
Now, more than ever, Canada needs to seize the day and rise to its potential.
Read ECC’s Executive Director Evan Bahry’s full Calgary Herald opinion piece here: Answering the world’s call for energy
