Just as CNOOC’s Fanrong Li’s luncheon keynote speech came across as defensive, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver followed a similar trail in his address at IHS CERAWeek on Wednesday. Oliver passionately made the case for his country’s oil sands, saying in his address that Canadian oil sands are less “dirty” than coal production in the state of Illinois.
Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver on Wednesday 6 March (Photo: Audrey Leon/OEDigital)The reason Oliver remains a champion of bringing Canadian oil sands to America by way of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline is due to the US being Canada’s largest oil customer.
The backlash against Keystone XL pipeline surprised politicians in Ottawa, Oliver said in a discussion with IHS Chairman Daniel Yergin following his address.
“Some people were surprised at the delay,” he said. “This project concerns national security, economic growth, and jobs; the positives of Keystone are great.”
With American politicians holding up approvals of Keystone XL pipeline, Canada is forced to look elsewhere.
“We have more oil than the US needs,” Oliver said. “(The US) has been our only customer. The issue of Keystone intensified our desire to diversify.”
However, Oliver’s speech gave the overall impression that Canada would rather maintain a united front with the US.
“There’s talk of America being energy independent; well, there’s an opportunity right now for North America to be independent.”
Subscribe
