A pro-pipeline convoy with thousands of truckers blared their way through an Alberta town Wednesday with a message for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 need handouts.鈥�
Two days after Trudeau announced a boost of $1.6 billion for the province鈥檚 struggling energy sector, oil and gas workers asked for action on the halted Trans Mountain pipeline -- not loans.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 posturing by our federal government,鈥� said Murray Schur, founder and president of Schur Trucking Ltd., which transports drilling rigs. 鈥淪imply, what we need is pipelines in the ground to move the oil.鈥�
The Liberal鈥檚 $4.5 billion purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline was announced this year, but hit a major snag when the Federal Court of Appeal decided there had not been enough consultation with Indigenous and environmental groups. Alberta is making less per barrel of oil because of a dearth of pipelines that would allow the province to sell higher priced product to overseas markets. Alberta estimates that it is losing $80 million per day.
鈥淭hey need to be able to restore investment back into Canada, because it鈥檚 the investors that aren鈥檛 willing to put their dollars into Canada and they鈥檙e going elsewhere,鈥� said Schur. His trucks were in the rally to 鈥渄emonstrate the sense of urgency鈥� to Trudeau, whose $1.6 billion in loans is 鈥渘ot enough,鈥� he said. Schur has been in the business for 25 years and told CTV News Channel on Wednesday that the current crisis is the worst he鈥檚 ever seen in the industry.
鈥淎nd there鈥檚 no end in sight,鈥� he said, adding there are 鈥渟imply not enough鈥� oil rigs operating in Canada anymore. 鈥淥il companies are shutting down their fields because they鈥檝e got no room to move the oil, which 鈥� puts thousands of people out of work.鈥�
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer joined the chorus of truck horns Wednesday for a town hall meeting in the town and criticized Trudeau鈥檚 announcement of the assistance package.
鈥淚n typical Alberta fashion, the message sent back to Ottawa loud and clear: We don鈥檛 need handouts, we just want to get back to work,鈥� he said to applause. 鈥淕ive a province $1.6 billion you might feed them for a couple of weeks, but let them build a pipeline to get our energy to market and you can feed them for a generation.鈥�
Scheer encouraged the town hall audience, noting that they have 鈥渉ad slumps before,鈥� and characterized Trudeau鈥檚 government as having 鈥減ulled the rug out from under鈥� Albertans.
鈥淭here are politicians across the country that don鈥檛 believe in our energy sector, that don鈥檛 want to see it developed or expanded,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut conservatives are joining common cause with those across the country that do want to support this sector.鈥�
