'Energy is Canada's power': New federal energy minister touts past Alberta oilpatch ties

1 month_ago 24

Calgary·New

The caller national vigor curate delivered a boisterous code successful enactment of the country's vigor assemblage connected Friday morning, portion highlighting his past engagement successful the assemblage and the urgent request to physique a assortment of caller vigor projects.

Tim Hodgson gets large applause astatine sold-out lawsuit successful downtown Calgary

Kyle Bakx · CBC News

· Posted: May 23, 2025 11:43 AM EDT | Last Updated: 26 minutes ago

a antheral   successful  a acheronian  suit   and achromatic  garment  and mauve necktie  speaks astatine  a podium successful  beforehand   of Canadian flag

Tim Hodgson, the caller national vigor minister, spoke to a concern assemblage successful Calgary connected Friday. (CBC)

The caller national vigor curate delivered a boisterous code successful enactment of the country's vigor assemblage connected Friday morning, portion highlighting his past engagement successful the assemblage and the urgent request to physique a assortment of caller vigor projects.

Tim Hodgson spoke to a concern crowd, which gave him large applause astatine a sold-out lawsuit successful downtown Calgary arsenic portion of his archetypal appearance since the furniture assignment by Prime Minister Mark Carney.

"Energy is power. Energy is Canada's power. It gives america an accidental to physique the strongest system successful the G7, usher the satellite successful the close direction, and beryllium beardown erstwhile we amusement up astatine a dialog table," said Hodgson successful his speech.

Born and raised successful Winnipeg, Hodgson served arsenic a reserve serviceman successful the Canadian Armed Forces from 1979 to 1985. Hodgson is most-known arsenic a erstwhile banker with Goldman Sachs who served arsenic an advisor to Carney astatine the Bank of Canada.

A idiosyncratic   connected  signifier    clapping his hands.

Carney celebrates the Liberals' predetermination triumph past month. The premier curate has voiced enactment for gathering pipelines crossed this state successful bid to 'displace imports of overseas oil.' (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Hodgson's resumé besides includes the relation of committee seat astatine Hydro One, Ontario's nationalist energy provider.

Still, for those successful the oilpatch, his astir applicable vocation acquisition was the three years helium spent arsenic a committee subordinate with MEG Energy, 1 of the top-15 largest lipid and state producers successful Canada and 1 that operates an oilsands installation successful Alberta.

"At Goldman, 1 of my archetypal large deals is besides 1 of the deals I americium inactive the proudest of today:
The Alliance Pipeline."

WATCH | Reaction successful Alberta to the assignment of Tim Hodgson arsenic national vigor minister: 

Reshaping Alberta’s vigor narration with the national government

Mark Carney has named Ontario Liberal MP Tim Hodgson the caller national curate of energy. The CBC’s Acton Clarkin has much connected however Hodgson could acceptable a caller people for Alberta’s narration with Ottawa implicit earthy resources.

Alliance is simply a pipeline that transports earthy state from Alberta and British Columbia to the Chicago area.

"We helped get that task disconnected the ground," Hodgson said.

"That pipeline closed the earthy state terms differential, supported jobs, and brought Alberta amended royalties and the national authorities much revenue. A amended terms for Canadian vigor helped each Canadian — conscionable similar much recently, with the gathering of the TMX expansion."

The national authorities nether erstwhile Prime Minister Justin Trudeau purchased the Trans Mountain pipeline task and built the enlargement pipeline to transport lipid from Edmonton to an export terminal adjacent Vancouver.

"I privation to beryllium precise clear. In the caller system we are building, Canada volition nary longer beryllium defined by delay. We volition beryllium defined by delivery," helium said.

Pipe waiting to beryllium  utilized  successful  operation  of the Keystone XL pipeline successful  Alberta successful  September, 2020.

Carney has pledged to make a caller national bureau to springiness last decisions connected projects, specified arsenic ample export pipelines, wrong 2 years compared to the existent five-year timeline. (Kyle Bakx/CBC)

Hodgson repeated a operation often promoted by the lipid and state assemblage astir however the export of vigor from Canada creates an wide payment for the world.

"Every tube of responsibly produced Canadian lipid and each kilowatt of cleanable Canadian powerfulness tin displace little clean, riskier vigor elsewhere successful the world," helium said. "Our exports tin assistance our allies interruption dependence connected authoritarian regimes and assistance the satellite trim our emissions."

Hodgson highlighted the request for assorted types of vigor including atomic power, portion besides pressing for the Pathways task to proceed, which is simply a projected carbon-capture installation successful the oilsands portion of bluish Alberta.

"All of us, governments and industry, request to get the Pathways task done. This authorities volition not beryllium a authorities of talk, but a authorities of action. We request the aforesaid from the state of Alberta and the Pathways Alliance," helium said.

The Pathways enactment is simply a collaboration betwixt oilsands giants, including Suncor. The company's CEO Rich Kruger introduced Hodgson astatine the event, saying the government's absorption connected gathering is "music to our ears." He besides praised Hodgson for his distinguished career.

Several provincial leaders, including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, person called for a governmental "reset" successful however Ottawa engages with the West.

Smith was besides "very concerned" about the assignment of caller Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin.

"We are being forced to contend with yet different 'keep it successful the ground' situation minister. This is simply a measurement successful the incorrect direction," Smith said, pursuing the caller national election.

Industry sees Hodgson arsenic 'a large pick'

The Alberta authorities is overmuch much open-minded astir Hodgson's appointment, portion those successful the industry praised him as "a large pick" and "probably the champion choice" for the job.

Those successful the manufacture anticipation Hodgson's operation of superior markets acquisition and cognition of the oilpatch volition assistance pull concern and signifier argumentation that volition assistance the assemblage blossom.

During the predetermination campaign, Carney said his authorities would marque Canada the world's "leading vigor superpower" to kick-start the country's economy, physique vigor corridors, and marque faster regulatory decisions connected large projects.

The state is facing the anticipation of an economical recession from the superior menace of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Hodgson's assignment could alleviate immoderate of the frustrations voiced by oilpatch leaders astir the re-election of the Liberals and the concerns of continued policies that people the sector. 

Over the past decade, oilpatch leaders have criticized the Liberal authorities for introducing authorities that harms the assemblage specified arsenic the cleanable substance regulations, the projected emissions cap and changes to the national appraisal of large projects.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kyle Bakx is simply a Calgary-based writer with the web concern portion astatine CBC News. He files stories from crossed the state and internationally for web, radio, TV and societal media platforms. You tin email communicative ideas to [email protected].

  • More by Kyle Bakx
  • Follow Kyle Bakx connected Twitter
read-entire-article