{"id":93346,"date":"2017-03-10T00:44:03","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T05:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=93346"},"modified":"2017-03-10T00:44:03","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T05:44:03","slug":"pm-trudeau-tells-houston-energy-conference-border-tax-would-hurt-both-economies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/03\/10\/pm-trudeau-tells-houston-energy-conference-border-tax-would-hurt-both-economies\/","title":{"rendered":"PM Trudeau tells Houston energy conference border tax would hurt both economies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Prime<\/a>
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it clear he is flatly against a proposed U.S. border adjustment tax, telling a global gathering of politicians and energy sector executives it would hurt the economy in both countries. (Photo: Justin Trudeau\u200f\/Twitter<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HOUSTON \u2014 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it clear he is flatly against a proposed U.S. border adjustment tax, telling a global gathering of politicians and energy sector executives it would hurt the economy in both countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecognizing, of course, how much the Canadian economy depends on close collaboration and integration with the American economy, anything that creates impediments at the border \u2014 extra tariffs or new taxes \u2014 is something we’re concerned with,\u201d Trudeau said Thursday night in Houston, Texas.<\/p>\n

Trudeau came to the heart of the U.S. oil path to deliver a keynote address to the annual CERAWeek conference \u2014 a first for a Canadian prime minister \u2014 that attracts legislators, energy executives, innovators and experts from around the world.<\/p>\n

His comments on the importance of avoiding a levy at the border \u2014 as proposed by Republican leadership in the U.S. \u2014 came in a question-and-answer session following a speech where Trudeau make the case for investing in Canadian natural resources, even while his Liberal government is preparing for a future without fossil fuels.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing is more essential to the U.S. economy than access to a secure, reliable source of energy,\u201d Trudeau said during his speech. \u201cCanada is that source.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trudeau talked up the connection between resource development and taking care of the environment, a message he has also been taking to Canadians.<\/p>\n

Trudeau has been trying to convince skeptics on both sides of the political spectrum that the country needs both new pipelines and a carbon-pricing plan meant to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n

The conference, organized by London-based research firm IHS Markit, also gave Trudeau an award for his stance in favour of sustainable development.<\/p>\n

Trudeau noted his government approved two pipelines \u2014 Trans Mountain’s Kinder Morgan line and Enbridge’s Line 3 rebuild \u2014 and welcomed the news that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to move ahead with the Keystone XL pipeline project that TransCanada proposed nearly a decade ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI make no bones about it: We’re proud of this. It’s progress. It’s important,\u201d said Trudeau.<\/p>\n

But he argued that other things are important too.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me be very clear: We could not have moved on pipelines had we not acted on climate,\u201d Trudeau said.<\/p>\n

The visit comes at a time when the energy industry, buoyed by a recent resurgence in the price of oil, and governments around the world are grappling with a dramatic shift in American politics.<\/p>\n

Trump has vowed to boost fossil fuel production through easing regulations. That stance, and his tough-on-trade approach could challenge Trudeau’s vision for a clean-energy future.<\/p>\n

Trudeau did not openly criticize Trump, but there were a few moments during his time on stage Thursday night where he pointedly praised the Canadian way of doing things \u2014 particularly when it comes to immigration \u2014 in a way that allowed his audience to read between the lines.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur capacity as a country to recognize that diversity is an incredible source of strength . . . and not a weakness, is one of those things I certainly hope that people notice and try and emulate around the world,\u201d Trudeau said during the question-and-answer session.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we need a little more of that,\u201d he said before pausing to look directly into the audience.<\/p>\n

The Conservatives have been highly critical of the Liberal plan to require all provinces and territories to have some form of carbon pricing in place by 2018, suggesting that is frightening foreign investors away.<\/p>\n

Thursday brought news of more international energy giants abandoning the Canadian oilsands: Netherlands-based Royal Dutch Shell and Houston-based Marathon Oil are selling their stakes to Canadian Natural Resources for $12.74 billion in cash and shares.<\/p>\n

The move shows that at a time of lower crude prices, and the quick growth of less costly shale oil, foreign companies are taking another look at their investments in the costly and carbon-intensive Alberta oilsands.<\/p>\n

Trudeau’s visit is part of ongoing Liberal government efforts to convince the Trump administration and other American legislators that keeping an open border benefits the economy \u2014 including the energy sector \u2014 in both Canada and the U.S.<\/p>\n

On Friday, the prime minister is scheduled to meet with Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, and Lisa Murkowski, the U.S. senator for Alaska. Both are Republicans. David MacNaughton, Canada’s U.S. ambassador and a key player in the government’s outreach efforts, is also part of Trudeau’s entourage in Houston.<\/p>\n

Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, who has been in Houston all week, said the federal government believes that, in the long run, investors will see the Canadian oil and gas industry as a good place to put their money as they transition to renewable energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be other investors who see Canada, known for its innovation and its entrepreneurship, as a place where investment makes a lot of sense,\u201d Carr told reporters Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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