Minister of Natural Resources challenges CIAC to write the chapter on energy value-added processing for Canada’s energy strategy

Speaking to the CIAC Board of Directors on October 17, in Ottawa, the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources, challenged CIAC and its members to contribute to Canada’s energy strategy by submitting the chapter on energy value-added processing.

“I understand the important role of chemistry in supporting the Canada’s energy transition. I don’t need to be convinced,” said the Minister. “What I do need is for this industry to help inform others and to tell us what the government can do to support investment and innovation in Canada’s chemistry sector.”

“You play a vital role in the Canadian economy and your industry has world leading environmental practices,” he told the room. “The world is hungry for our resources. When I go to India and China and Japan, the only thing they want to talk about is imported Canadian liquid natural gas.”

Minister Carr spoke to the CIAC Board on the heels of the Generation Energy dialogue he hosted in Winnipeg, Manitoba the week prior. Attended by nearly 800 Canadians, the forum involved challenging discussions on the pace of transition to a low carbon economy in Canada and the role of conventional energy sources during that transition.

Speaking on behalf of CIAC member-companies, CIAC President and CEO Bob Masterson called on Minister Carr and his counterpart in Finance to be more engaged in the climate change policy and pricing discussions.

“Industry can accept that there is a need for an economic transformation to support Canada’s transition to a low carbon economy. What we can’t accept is that this transformation will be led by ministries of environment federally and provincially. To succeed, economically oriented departments such as finance, resources, and innovation are going to have to get much more engaged in the discussion if we’re to maintain competitiveness and attract investment opportunity,” Masterson said.