logo
ENع
Develop natural resources to unify Canada: Frank McKenna, Gary Mar

Develop natural resources to unify Canada: Frank McKenna, Gary Mar

Vancouver Sun26-04-2025

Two of Canada's most prominent business and former political leaders are urging the next government to make national unity a top priority.
Article content
Former New Brunswick premier and ambassador to the U.S. Frank McKenna championed the nation-building Energy East pipeline. Gary Mar, formerly Alberta's intergovernmental relations minister and representative in Washington, now president of the Canada West Foundation.
Article content
Article content
Both joined columnist Tasha Kheiriddin on Thursday for a live discussion about national unity and the federal election.
Article content
Article content
However, McKenna pointed to a long history of high-level representation from Alberta in particular: 'Alberta has enjoyed a lot of respect at the national level,' he said.
Article content
Still, McKenna firmly acknowledged that sensitivity to western concerns continue: 'I hope and pray that when (the election) is all over that the pain points, the points of stress will be worked out. That we will have national leaders, the premiers included, that will work on assuaging some of these issues.'
Article content
Article content
Article content
Mar noted a shift in national politics has given rise to the present sense of western alienation. Past prime ministers, such as Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien and Stephen Harper 'had national visions' leading to 'legitimacy as a national government, because you represented the whole country,' he said. This resulted in inevitable, but acceptable compromises.

Hashtags

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Here's a look at some major projects Canada's leaders hope to fast-track
Here's a look at some major projects Canada's leaders hope to fast-track

CBC

time7 days ago

  • CBC

Here's a look at some major projects Canada's leaders hope to fast-track

Out of the first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon, expectations were high that Prime Minister Mark Carney would release a list of nation-building projects that his government would prioritize. He didn't. However, Carney and Canada's premiers gave examples that could qualify for federal support and potentially be expedited for completion. The Carney government intends to introduce legislation aimed to help identify and fast-track projects deemed in the national interest. The Liberals campaigned on making final decisions on projects within a two-year timeline, rather than the five years previously used. Here's a look at some projects that could be sped up. Wind West and Atlantic interties You've likely heard of Energy East, the planned but never built bitumen pipeline from Alberta to New Brunswick. Nova Scotia's Wind West aims to send renewable electricity from the East Coast westward. With the help of offshore wind turbines, Premier Tim Houston is pitching a project that he says could generate enough electricity to power 27 per cent of the country's needs. "I support the prime minister's vision in making Canada an energy superpower," Houston said in a video posted to social media. "Wind West could fuel battery plants, AI data centres, industries of the future. And it would transform our economy." Houston told CBC's Power and Politics that he's looking to the federal government to support "an investment in transmission" to connect Atlantic Canada's grids to the rest of the country. "We'd be looking for the federal government to support us on a pathway. [That] could be a national energy corridor with those transmission lines," Houston told host David Cochrane. "And these are mostly cables for our wind energy." New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said her province could become a hub that connects electricity from Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia to the rest of Canada and the United States. Through new transmission connections known as interties, Holt said Atlantic provinces could sell their power across North America. Grays Bay port and road This project has been described as a "subway line" that could offer Nunavut easier access to its resource-rich areas and offer western provinces a direct link to the Northwest Passage. A subsidiary of the region's Kitikmeot Inuit Association is proposing to build a deepwater port on Nunavut's mainland in the Coronation Gulf. To access that port, a 230-kilometre all-weather road would need to be constructed across tundra, muskeg and waterways without interfering with the sensitive permafrost. The thick layer of frozen soil is prone to melt when disturbed through road construction. A potential road would connect to Jericho Station, home to a defunct diamond mine, before continuing to a 600-kilometre winter road to Yellowknife. An all-season road could also eventually replace that ice road, which is closed most of the year. The Grays Bay port could handle large cargo ships capable of loading and transporting materials from future critical mineral mines, both in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Local hunters and others, though, have raised concerns about the massive project's impact on the endangered Dolphin and Union caribou herd. Port of Churchill Another potential hub for critical minerals and fossil fuel exports could be through the expansion of the Port of Churchill. The existing port, via the Arctic Gateway railway system, promotes itself as the shortest link from the Prairies to the Atlantic Ocean. It offers access to the Arctic, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America. In August 2024, the port announced it had shipped its first critical mineral shipment — zinc concentrate — to Belgium. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew stated in a letter to Carney that the province is seeking investments in icebreakers to expand the shipping season through Hudson Bay and for new "energy generation and transmission to power the project." Northwest coast bitumen pipeline At the closing news conference in Saskatoon, Carney said he was open to the idea of a second pipeline from the oilsands to Canada's West Coast, something that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wants. "There is an ability to build that energy infrastructure, that oil pipeline," Carney said. "I agree with [Smith]. And so the opportunity is there, the market is there in Asia." Canada has only one pipeline to tidewater that doesn't go to or through the U.S. — through B.C.'s Lower Mainland to Burnaby. It's unclear what route a northwest coast pipeline would take, as no company is pitching one yet. But Enbridge's planned, but never built, Northern Gateway would have gone through northern B.C., destined for the Port of Kitimat. The Trans Mountain Expansion to Burnaby was completed in 2024, and from conception to delivery, the government-owned pipeline faced fierce opposition due to its $34-billion cost and concerns over its environmental impact. Canada purchased the project from American pipeline firm Kinder Morgan in 2018 when it was unclear it would be completed otherwise. A new northern pipeline is already meeting resistance from B.C.'s premier, who said he doesn't support lifting the tanker ban along the north coast. The province's deputy premier Niki Sharma said Monday that B.C. has "differences of opinion" on a pipeline through the north of the province. Giant carbon capture pipeline Canada's largest oilsands companies are proposing to build what could be one of the world's largest carbon capture and storage networks. The 400-kilometre Pathways Alliance pipeline project would transport captured carbon dioxide from the oilsands in the Fort McMurray region and other sites to Cold Lake, Alta., for storage. "The project proceeding is contingent upon obtaining sufficient fiscal and policy support and regulatory approval," according to its website. The pipeline project is expected to cost $16.5 billion and is supposed to be operational by 2030. Six companies are collaborating on the project: Suncor Energy Inc., Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Cenovus Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd., MEG Energy Corp. and ConocoPhillips Canada. Pathways has stated that the project could help its member companies achieve a 32 per cent reduction from 2019 emissions levels by 2030 and is the centrepiece of the industry's pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Ring of Fire The Ring of Fire in northwestern Ontario has been a topic of discussion and controversy for years. Ontario Premier Doug Ford views the crescent-shaped mineral deposit as a treasure trove for the province's electric vehicle supply chain. But Ford also sees potential for the Ring of Fire to meet global demand for materials used in computer chips and high-tech military weapons. There are no all-season roads, railways or energy infrastructure connecting the isolated area that is mostly muskeg, swamps and rivers. The province and mining developers also face pushback from some First Nations and environmentalists. Members of Ojibway and Cree communities in the area worry its development represents a threat to their traditional way of life. The Ring of Fire's location in the James Bay Lowlands places it in the Hudson Bay Lowlands. Together they form one of the world's largest wetlands. It's a massive carbon store and habitat for migratory birds.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store