Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs presented an e-petition to the House of Commons Tuesday calling for more federal support of the oil industry.
The Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors said in a press release that the petition gathered over 34,000 signatures, which they also say is more than any other online petition in Canadian history. President Mark Scholtz said of the petition “The majority of Canadians are not activists or paid protesters. The fact that this is one of the highest signed e-petitions reaffirms that the majority of Canadians support the oil and gas sector, and support pipelines provided they are built and managed responsibly.”
“Hard-working Canadians are suffering,” said Stubbs. “Tens of thousands of people are out of work in Alberta alone because of low oil prices and uncertainty in one of Canada’s most important industries. Canadians know that we need critical energy infrastructure, built under world-class regulations, to open markets and ensure long-term growth and sustainability, while reducing our reliance on foreign oil. The federal government must support Canada’s energy sector and its workers, and unequivocally get behind nation-building pipeline projects like Energy East.”
Building pipelines has been a struggle for years for the industry, often due to intense local opposition in affected areas. The public in BC and Quebec in particular. A recent poll showed 50% of BC residents opposed the Northern Gateway Pipeline while 35% approved.
