Canada’s Premiers had the opportunity to pitch their ideas to the Prime Minister during First Ministers’ meetings in Saskatoon.
Energy was a popular topic amongst the Premiers.
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says natural gas is of particular interest to New Brunswick right now, “Extending a natural gas line that stops in Quebec City, a couple 100 kilometres to the border of New Brunswick, and then through New Brunswick to Belledune, down the west and connecting in Fredericton and the Maritimes and northeast pipeline, because that source of natural gas is something that industry wants. Then we can take it further and look at what we do with our LNG terminal in Saint John, if there’s a reliable source of gas to put it back into a liquefaction plan.”
“A really great discussion around the table with the premiers about how we all connect and build the kind of energy resources and energy infrastructure and corridors that serve all Canadians,” Holt adds.
She says engaging with the First Nations in New Brunswick is something that she has been doing for several years, and even more since being elected.
Holts expressed that she is very impressed with the kind of projects that First Nations have been developing, particularly energy projects.
“The conversations that we’re having with First Nations in New Brunswick are about advancing their interests in energy projects and resource projects as an equity partner or a developer, or proponent of those projects. So there’s been lots of opportunity, lots of interest. Something that the Prime Minister made clear was critical to him, is that projects selected to be in the national interest had to meet a certain criteria, and indigenous priority was one of those, and making sure that partnership, be it, an equity partnership, was developed, because that’s the way forward.”
Holt adds she was glad to see the Eastern Energy Partnership was one of the top priorities of the federal government.
