LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

ALBERTA

Brian Jean, MLA

Alberta's Leader of the Official Opposition
MLA Fort McMurray-Conklin

March 18, 2016

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau,
P.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON KIA OA2
Prime Minister Trudeau,
I write to you regarding the federal government's announced plans for a moratorium on tanker
traffic on British Columbia's North Coast, and to formally request it be removed.
The announcement was made official on November 13, 2015, as part of your mandate letter to
Canada's Transportation Minister, the Hon. Marc Garneau.
This move essentially blocks the development of the badly needed Northern Gateway Pipeline,
and has brought a great deal of uncertainty to both Alberta and British Columbia's energy sector.
In an interview on February 1 of this year, this was confirmed when you stated to an Alberta
energy worker that, "Northern Gateway's probably not going to happen as a pipeline ... the
environmental impact of tankers through the Douglas Channel has been a non-starter."
As you are aware, the Northern Gateway Pipeline was approved with 209 conditions after
undergoing likely the most thorough regulatory review processes in the world, and certainly in
Canadian history.
The independent members of the National Energy Board who oversaw the review concluded,
"Canada and Canadians would be better off with the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project than
without it."
The pipeline would accelerate the federal government's stated goals to help move Canada's
energy products to market. Removing barriers to its construction would restore investor
confidence in Canada's energy sector. If constructed, the project would boost Canada's GDP by

$300 billion over the next 30 years, provide a boost in employment, and by extension, improve
revenues for all levels of government across Canada.
As mentioned earlier, this decision goes beyond just the Northern Gateway project. According to
several media reports, your cabinet is currently reviewing British Columbia's $36-billion Pacific
Northwest LNG project.
The project would include an investment in a proposed terminal near Kitimat, the same proposed
terminal location as Northern Gateway. Both of these projects would require tankers to carry
Canadian natural resource products through the Douglas Channel.
This moratorium is essentially shelving hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in Canada's
energy sector. Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia's industries are depending on
tankers being permitted to operate on this coast line.
Further, a Canadian energy strategy that allows tankers to sail in to our east coast with foreign
oil, but restricts the movement of Canadian resources on the west coast is not a viable or
equitable path for our country moving forward.
Canada's energy sector has lost over 100,000 workers in the past year alone. That's equivalent to
one fifth of workers in the entire energy sector suffering. They deserve hope and action from
their elected officials.
The energy projects being proposed have already passed strict environmental regulatory
processes. The only thing standing in the way is government approval and this current ban on
tanker traffic.
We request that it be removed immediately and these projects be approved in the best interests of
the people of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and all of Canada.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,

Brian Jean
Leader of Alberta's Official Opposition
MLA, Fort McMurray-Conklin