Ontario Premier Doug Ford arrived in Calgary Monday with a stronger financial commitment to the proposed Northern Shield pipeline, while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signalled she wants the project moving faster than previously expected.
Speaking alongside Smith at Enserva’s “Build Canada Stronger” event, Ford said Ontario is ready to provide capital to help get the project built. He cast the project as vital to Canada’s energy sovereignty.
“We need to be very clear-eyed about the future we face,” Ford said. “Because no matter who’s in charge south of the border, the security and prosperity of Canada’s economy must always be controlled by Canadians,” Ford said.
He described the investment as “patient capital,” arguing government support could help build critical infrastructure while generating a return.
The proposed 3,300-kilometre corridor would carry crude oil from Hardisty, Alta., to Sarnia, Ont. When the route was unveiled in July, Ontario said a feasibility study would determine estimated costs and examine commercial models for the project.
Smith echoed the push for speed, saying Ford has “a pretty strong ambition to get that one done a lot faster than I might have expected.”
Canada looks past the U.S.
Much of Monday’s discussion turned to a bigger question: how dependent should Canada remain on the United States?
Ford argued Canada’s energy and trade networks were built around close U.S. ties, leaving the country vulnerable when that relationship becomes uncertain.
As part of the Northern Shield plan, Ford said Ontario will also examine a Canadian port option that could move Alberta oil to tidewater without crossing another country.
He also highlighted plans for a strategic petroleum reserve stocked with fuels such as diesel, gasoline and jet fuel, framing both ideas as ways to give Canada more control over where its energy moves and who can access it.
The July route would move Alberta crude east to Ontario refineries, with the broader plan also aimed at opening access to new markets.
Smith acknowledged she and Ford have not always taken the same approach to the U.S., but both premiers landed on the same broader message Monday: Canada needs more ways to move its energy at home and sell it abroad.
Separation called a ‘distraction’
With Albertans voting on Oct. 19 whether or not to pursue separation from Canada, Enserva president and CEO Gurpreet Lail was asked what she is hearing from members in the energy services, supply and manufacturing sector. Lail said the debate is pulling attention away from the conversations around investment and growth.
“Most of my members — it’s a distraction,” Lail said. “It’s a distraction from work, it’s a distraction from where we’re headed as an industry.”
Lail said members remain focused on attracting investment and getting more infrastructure built. She also pointed to labour as a major challenge, saying the sector needs more workers through training, technical education and immigration if large projects are going to move ahead.
For his part, Ford was unequivocal.
“I’m going to keep this real, real short,” he said when asked about the consequences of separation issue in Canada.
“Folks, united we stand, divided we fall. We need to be a united country. We need to stand together.
“I love all Albertans,” he added. “And we’re always going to stick together.”
