PCA and CLAC urge stakeholders to push forward with LNG

VANCOUVER – Two associations are urging both industry and government to continue pushing liquefied natural gas (LNG) production forward.

The Progressive Contractors Association (PCA) and the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) stated in a joint release that while it is noteworthy the annual Canada Gas & LNG Conference in Vancouver is taking place for the first time with a large LNG project ready to go, there is still work to be done.

The $40 billion LNG Canada export facility reached its final investment decision in Oct. 2018 and is the largest infrastructure project in Canada. A Coastal Gaslink pipeline will deliver natural gas from the Dawson Creek Area to the facility but is currently facing a constitutional challenge before the National Energy Board.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Canada to demonstrate to the international business community that it can be a leading LNG export country. But before that can happen, there must be regulatory certainty that Canada can get vital pipelines and major capital projects approved and built,” PCA president Paul de Jong said in the release.  

“As this mega project comes onto its own, it’s critical that our industry works collectively to build and train the needed workforce. It will take careful planning to attract enough new workers at a time when thousands are retiring from the province’s construction industry,” CLAC B.C. director Kevin Kohut said. 

The PCA and CLAC statement also stated the LNG Canada project “will put Canada on the map as a global leader in the supply of safe, reliable, clean natural gas. It will also generate billions in revenues and thousands of good paying jobs.” de Jong also moderated a panel at the conference on workforce supply in Canada’s LNG industry.  

PCA has previously advocated for changes to the federal government’s Bill C-69, which would modernize the National Energy Board and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. De Jong and other industry leaders along with federal and provincial Conservative leaders have said changes proposed in the bill would tie up future projects in red tape and discourage investment in Canada’s energy sector. The Senate recently approved a series of amendments to the bill which would reduce cabinet discretion to intervene in the assessment process and make court challenges to projects more difficult. Amendments must go back to the House of Commons for the government to accept, reject or send back to the Senate.