Nation needs oil and gas infrastructure to boost energy security in Eastern Canada, says Hodgson

Globe and Mail

23-05-2025

Canada's Natural Resources Minister says the country needs more infrastructure that can get oil and gas to the coast to open trade opportunities with overseas markets and shore up energy supplies in Eastern Canada.
Tim Hodgson made the remarks at an event hosted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Thursday morning, in the wake of a series of meetings with Western Canadian officials. That includes Alberta's Energy Minister Brian Jean and its Affordability and Utilities Minister, Nathan Neudorf, as well as Saskatchewan's Deputy Premier Jim Reiter.
Calling himself a pragmatist and a businessman, Mr. Hodgson took aim at U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and broader trade war.
'We did not ask for this trade war. But we are going to win it,' he said.
'If we're going to sit across the table from him or anyone else, we need to hold Canada's best cards. That means being able to sell our products to the world. It means expanding our markets, modernizing our infrastructure, and creating the conditions to compete and win.'
Canada will remain a reliable global supplier of oil and gas for decades to come, Mr. Hodgson said.
'The real challenge is not whether we produce, but whether we can get the best products to market before someone else does,' he said.
'It's high time to trade more with people who share our values – not just our border.'
Mr. Hodgson pledged to work quickly with the provinces and territories, industry and Indigenous partners to diversify trade, and open and expand new markets for energy and natural resources.
'No more asking, 'Why build?' The real question is, 'How do we get it done?' That means breaking apart barriers and ripping down red tape,' he said.
The first step will be to identify and fast-track projects of national interest which matter to the Canadian economy, the environment, and the country's sovereignty.
Permitting decisions will be made in two years via a major federal projects office that will offer a single window for permits, he said.
Although he emphasized the need for more oil and gas infrastructure, he did not mention pipelines during his speech, but called on the Pathways Alliance to hasten its plans to build a massive carbon capture project in the oil sands.
The Pathways Alliance is a consortium of Canada's six largest oil sands companies, which together have publicly committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from oil sands production by 2050.
'Your federal government has committed to certainty, to support, and to making Canada an energy superpower, but we need a partner who is also willing to make good on their promises to Canadians,' Mr. Hodgson said.
'We need to demonstrate to our customers outside the U.S., and to our fellow Canadians, that we are a responsible industry – and this government believes Pathways is critical to that reality.'
He added that Ottawa intends to invest in carbon capture, methane reduction and other emissions-reduction technologies.
A former investment banker, Mr. Hodgson was also on the board of oil sands company MEG Energy.
One of Mr. Hodgson's first major deals at Goldman Sachs was for the Alliance Pipeline, which delivered natural gas from Western Canada to the Chicago market hub, helping to boost prices for the commodity. That was one of the deals, 'I am still the proudest of today,' he said.
His experience with capital markets and the oil and gas sector – as well as his Western Canadian roots – have had industry voicing cautious optimism about energy policy under Ottawa's new government.
'I may live in Toronto right now, but I was born on the Prairies,' Mr. Hodgson said. 'I want you to understand that I will be a voice for Alberta and Western Canada at the Cabinet table.'