Masterson at CERI Petrochemical Conference: “Canada’s federal and provincial governments need to row in the same direction.”
June 22, 2017
On June 6, Bob Masterson, CIAC president and CEO, gave the keynote address at the CERI Petrochemical Conference in Kananaskis, Alberta: “Rowing in the Same Direction – What’s Needed to Realize Petrochemical Investment in Canada.” He addressed concerns related to the changing nature of Canada-U.S. relations and the potential impact on Canadian industry. He also highlighted how industry and government can – and need – to work together for Canada to keep its place in the global economy.
“The lack of new investment at a time of re-investment in the U.S., combined with policy choices in central Canadian provinces that have left investors and operators scratching their heads, makes for a highly uncertain future for Canada’s chemistry sector,” Masterson said. “If we are to succeed and float a credible plan, it is going to take unprecedented coordination between business and government, and between governments at all levels.”
At the conference, Dylan Jones, Deputy Minister, Western Economic Diversification Canada – who reports to Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Minister Navdeep Bains – suggested CIAC’s Ottawa advocacy campaign had caught the attention of government decision makers. The government is beginning to change how it views the chemistry sector and is willing to support the industry in the future because of CIAC’s advocacy efforts.
Key messages from the Deputy Minister included:
- Chemistry is far from the only sector seeking subsidies or investment assistance, but providing that assistance is a role of government;
- Government needs sound data to make good decisions and industry and government need to work together on the interpretation of data; and,
- The government makes investments, sector comparisons and policy decisions on which sectors to fund/not fund.
Masterson’s full speech is available here, and his presentation slides are available here.