We live in a world where the events of the moment \u2014 whether in Crimea or Syria or\u00a0Afghanistan \u2014 signal unrelenting pressures of instability, where the U.S. inclination and capacity\u00a0to assert global leadership is on the wane and where the principles of multilateralism so helpful\u00a0for the last half of the last century are now under assault.<\/p>\n
It is easy to be pessimistic, easier still to want to turn inward. It is a world that, as Ian\u00a0Bremmer describes, will be increasingly \u201cevery nation for itself.\u201d National interests will be\u00a0paramount.<\/p>\n
The good news is that Canada is better positioned than many to take advantage of the\u00a0fluid state of global affairs, provided \u2014 and this is a big if \u2014 we can get our act together to\u00a0accentuate our strengths \u2014 notably our resource base and our energy capabilities in particular \u2014 to deliver prosperity and employment for Canadians for decades to come.\u00a0And that is the big idea I want to discuss with you tonight…<\/p>\n
Trade agreements are vital to access and to prosperity and I commend the government for its success on the negotiating front but you cannot sell what you cannot ship. Nor can you do\u00a0it without the investments, the talent and a shared commitment from all who would be affected.<\/p>\n
Put simply, we cannot market our resources globally if we do not have the infrastructure \u2014 political and industrial \u2014 to deliver them to market.\u00a0That is precisely why we need a strong national commitment to build the infrastructure that will enable us to bring our abundance of natural resources \u2014 our most vital comparative\u00a0advantage \u2014 to global markets, notably to the dynamic Asian economies where much of global\u00a0growth is occurring.<\/p>\n
We need pipelines to carry our crude oil to our west and east coasts. And we definitely\u00a0need to see the Keystone XL pipeline approved. A negative verdict by the U.S. government\u00a0would contravene a major tenet of NAFTA under which the U.S. was guaranteed unfettered\u00a0supply in exchange for unfettered access by Canadian exporters to its market.<\/p>\n
We also need urgently to quicken the pace to build pipelines and refining facilities on the\u00a0west coast enabling us to ship LNG to markets that need supply. Australia and the U.S. are already beating us to the punch. The former is experiencing a surge in LNG exports boosted by\u00a0rising demand and prices in Asia. Forecasts show that Australia’s gas output will jump to about\u00a0100 million metric tons by 2018, or about as much as Japan and Taiwan together consume in a\u00a0single year. The U.S. is also seizing opportunity in the Asia market with big LNG importers such\u00a0as Korea Gas and Japan’s Osaka Gas signing long-term agreements with U.S. terminals.<\/p>\n
We have to understand that, while demand for much of what we have is strong, we\u00a0operate in a highly competitive global market…<\/p>\n
The U.S. will continue to be our most important market but one lesson we have learned\u00a0from the hassle over Keystone is that we cannot rely exclusively on the U.S. for any export. Just imagine though, a positive verdict on Keystone that could be a catalyst for broader\u00a0cooperation on energy between Canada and the U.S. If we decide first to get our own house in\u00a0order, we could engage the Americans from a position of strength and relevance, making\u00a0energy independence in North America a near term reality and generating significant capacity\u00a0for influence in world affairs.<\/p>\n
The biggest beneficiaries would be our two economies. We both need energy to support\u00a0industrial expansion. While we will be competitors in some global markets that should not\u00a0preclude deeper integration. Our combined energy potential could actually be harnessed to help\u00a0change the geopolitical dynamic in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
We have an abundance of resources that is second to none. We have the capacity for\u00a0technological innovation that will enable us to ensure both energy security and environmental responsibility. I can envisage a new North American Accord on Carbon Emissions, one that\u00a0invokes the spirit of what we did successfully together to combat acid rain and to clean up the\u00a0Great Lakes, huge environmental achievements.<\/p>\n
We could agree on identical goals but use prescriptions for carbon reductions that\u00a0recognize the distinct nature of our respective resource assets and do not discriminate unfairly\u00a0against one another with standards that are essentially protectionism dressed up in an\u00a0environmental cloak.<\/p>\n
Our mutual objective should be to establish the world’s most efficient and reliable\u00a0infrastructure for the production and transmission of all forms of energy while we set a new gold standard on environmental performance. Ramping up LNG exports can facilitate a reduction in the number of coal-fired plants in\u00a0China and Asia \u2014 unquestionably the major menace today in terms of carbon emissions. As a\u00a0welcome bonus, increased supplies of natural gas in North America may also help wean the\u00a0U.S. off its heavy reliance on coal for power.<\/p>\n
North America working together as a dynamic, coherent player would be much stronger\u00a0engaging with China and the rest of the world. Energy sufficiency gives us greater\u00a0independence to chart our own course and can be a source of real leverage with others. Standing together, North America can lead the world, but only with vision and real leadership\u00a0from the top.<\/p>\n
Never forget that, to get attention in Washington, you need to be relevant to America’s\u00a0own agenda \u2014 domestic and global. Canada’s best asset and our best leverage in Washington\u00a0should be our energy resources, not just because of what it can contribute to the U.S.’ economic\u00a0prospects but also because of the heft it can give us with America’s global challenges and our\u00a0own…<\/p>\n
The test of true leadership hinges on judgments between risk and reward.<\/p>\n
Change of\u00a0any kind requires risk, political risk. It can and will generate unpopularity from those who\u00a0oppose change. The choice for Canada in a fast-changing global environment is either to adapt\u00a0quickly and take advantage of the changes happening or watch from the sidelines.<\/p>\n
If we truly deliver, we will not only enhance our economic prospects but I am confident\u00a0will also enable Canada to play a more relevant and effective role on geopolitical issues of the\u00a0moment. We can truly \u201cwalk the talk\u201d of a resource super power.<\/p>\n
Photo: iStock<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We live in a world where the events of the moment \u2014 whether in Crimea or Syria or\u00a0Afghanistan \u2014 signal unrelenting pressures of instability, where the U.S. inclination and capacity\u00a0to assert global leadership is on the wane and where the principles of multilateralism so helpful\u00a0for the last half of the last century are now under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":250103,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-10-08T00:52:51Z","apple_news_api_id":"a9e23d10-7761-4936-8e5d-0825c049a42e","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-10-08T00:52:51Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AqeI9EHdhSTaOXQglwEmkLg","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[9372],"tags":[],"article-status":[],"irpp-category":[],"section":[],"irpp-tag":[],"class_list":["post-263607","issues","type-issues","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recent-stories-fr"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n