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Cenovus boss goes political Brian Ferguson takes issue with promises of opposition candidates to reverse Harper administration’s approval of Northern Gateway Gary Park For Petroleum News
One of Canada’s top petroleum industry executives has taken the unusual step of going head-to-head with the two national political leaders who are both hoping to form the next federal government by ending the nine-year rule of Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an election next year.
“We should be outraged by the misinformation about our industry and our country,” Cenovus Energy Chief Executive Officer Brian Ferguson told a Calgary energy conference earlier in July.
And he pointed an accusing finger at the Liberal’s Justin Trudeau and the New Democratic Party’s Thomas Mulcair for seeking pure “political gain” by opposing Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline project.
“I was discouraged to see the political leaders of Canada’s two federal opposition parties contributing to a polarized debate,” he said. “They said that if they were elected they would do what they could to stop the recently approved Northern Gateway project.
“My concern is what they are basically saying is ... they would choose to ignore a very stringent regulatory process for what I think is really their own political gain,” Ferguson said, describing Northern Gateway as the “most scrutinized” application to ever come before the National Energy Board.
“To me that just doesn’t feel right as a Canadian, that people who aspire to become prime minister of the country would say that they would just abandon and make a mockery of our regulatory system. I don’t think that’s the approach for them to take as potential leaders,” he said, offering to meet with both Trudeau and Mulcair and explain the importance of Northern Gateway to Canada’s economy.
Candidates promise reversal Trudeau and Mulcair have both said they would reverse the NEB and Canadian government’s approval of the project, while requiring Enbridge to meet 209 conditions.
Ferguson, whose company is one of Northern Gateway’s funding partners, said the committed shippers remain supportive of the venture to export 525,000 barrels per day of oil sands bitumen to Pacific Rim markets and plan to release more specific commitments in the near future.
He said the Supreme Court’s rulings will impact the project, but agreed that commercial negotiations can still ensure that aboriginal communities, like other stakeholders, can get a “reasonable sharing of the economic rent” collected by the pipeline.
Poll shows continued hesitation Separately, a new poll by Vancouver-based Insights West shows continued hesitation among British Columbians in their view of Northern Gateway.
The polling firm started tracking the public mood in January 2013, when a survey showed 35 percent of British Columbians supported the pipeline, climbing to 42 percent in November 2013, then slipping back to 38 percent in June. The same poll in Alberta recorded 65 percent backing, down from 75 percent in January 2013, but outright opposition has increased only slightly to 19 percent from 18 percent over the 18 months.
Concern about the increase in tanker traffic off the British Columbia coast was registered by 85 percent in British Columbia and 73 percent in Alberta, while unease about the risk of an oil spill was endorsed by 83 percent of British Columbians and 66 percent of Albertans.
Asked if Northern Gateway would create new jobs, 80 percent of British Columbians and 88 percent of Albertans agreed.
Insights West Vice President Mario Canseco said strong opposition in British Columbia stands at 29 percent, compared with strong support at 14 percent.
Impact on First Nations concern He said a key issue to emerge from the poll is that 68 percent of British Columbians are concerned about the project’s impact on First Nations.
The poll showed that if a plebiscite among registered voters was to take place, 48 percent of British Columbians would vote to turn down Northern Gateway, even though 63 percent view the project as a good idea.
Enbridge’s Chief Executive Officer Al Monaco told the same Calgary conference said the Supreme Court has credited his company with taking the right approach by reaching out to First Nations along the pipeline right of way by persuading 26 to sign up as prospective equity partners.
Russ Girling, chief executive officer of TransCanada, told the conference that opponents of his firm’s plan to build the Energy East pipeline to deliver 1.1 million barrels per day of bitumen to Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada are trying to whip up a “frenzy of fear. The notion that we are trying to muzzle people is ludicrous. We have nothing to hide.”
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