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Unlocking Canada’s energy potential

Published

4 months ago

5 minute read

Resource Works CEO and founder Stewart Muir has laid out the conditions for Canada to realize its potential

How can Canada fully realize its energy potential?

Stewart Muir – CEO of Resource Works – often speaks about this question. According to Muir, Canada’s abundant natural resources, skilled workforce, and high standards give us a strong foundation to build on. But to translate these strengths into true economic and environmental leadership, a few key conditions must be met.

Below are five key conditions Muir highlights (especially regarding LNG and oil development) that can help Canada seize its energy opportunity:

Streamlined & Efficient Regulation – Unnecessarily lengthy and unpredictable approval processes have stalled projects and scared away investors. Muir advocates cutting red tape and speeding up decisions so that government isn’t working “at cross purposes” with industry . Reforming Canada’s permitting and regulatory processes would make energy projects more viable and globally competitive, allowing development to proceed faster without compromising standards.

Strong Indigenous Partnerships – Canada’s energy future needs to be built in true partnership with Indigenous peoples. Muir points out that First Nations are increasingly co-leading resource projects, with over 500 economic and reconciliation agreements in British Columbia alone. Embracing Indigenous leadership – through equity partnerships, consultations, and benefit-sharing – not only advances reconciliation but also creates certainty and shared prosperity for energy developments. Projects move forward best when Indigenous communities are on board as genuine partners.

Robust Infrastructure & Market Access – To capitalize on our resources, Canada must expand and modernize the infrastructure that gets energy to market. That means building and upgrading pipelines, ports, and LNG terminals. The recent completion of the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline is a proof point – it’s already moving Canadian oil to U.S. and Asian buyers , helping fetch better prices. Muir and others argue we also need to develop new LNG capacity, including on the East Coast, to supply allies in Europe . By investing in strategic infrastructure, Canada can ensure its oil and gas reach global markets efficiently and safely, turning resource potential into real economic growth.

Proactive Global Market Positioning – Canada has to seize its moment in the global energy market. Demand for energy is skyrocketing worldwide, yet Canada hasn’t fully stepped up to meet it. For example, when allied nations like Germany and Japan turned to Canada for LNG in recent years, they left empty-handed for lack of a “strong business case” to export gas. Meanwhile, other suppliers (the U.S., Qatar, etc.) eagerly filled those needs. Muir emphasizes that Canada must proactively position itself as a reliable exporter – or risk being left behind while others grab the opportunity. That means securing long-term contracts and building trade relationships so Canadian LNG and oil can become go-to choices in Asia, Europe, and beyond. In short, we need to act with urgency on the world stage to claim our share of the market.

Public Confidence through Environmental Leadership – Earning public trust is essential for any energy project to succeed. Canadians need to see that resource development can coexist with high environmental standards and climate responsibility. Muir notes that strengthening public confidence in energy and mining projects could help “preserve and unlock” the economic value of Canada’s huge reserves, and even position Canada as a leader in how to do resource development right. This means being transparent, engaging communities early, and upholding world-class environmental protections. Canada’s own track record shows that responsible resource development is not just possible – “it’s our forte”. By leading with strong environmental performance (for instance, using clean technology and cutting emissions per barrel), project developers can build the social license to operate. In turn, this public trust enables more projects to move ahead, aligning economic growth with our climate and environmental commitments.

Bottom Line: Muir’s vision suggests that if Canada delivers on these conditions – from faster approvals and better partnerships to smarter infrastructure and trust-building – we can translate our natural advantages into both prosperity and sustainability. Canada has the resources and know-how; now it’s about having the will to act.

By focusing on these key areas, Canada can become not only an energy powerhouse at home, but also a global example of economic and environmental leadership in responsible energy development.

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Business

Natural gas pipeline ownership spreads across 36 First Nations in B.C.

Published on June 14, 2025

By

Chief David Jimmie is president of Stonlasec8 and Chief of Squiala First Nation in B.C. He also chairs the Western Indigenous Pipeline Group. Photo courtesy Western Indigenous Pipeline Group

From the Canadian Energy Centre

Stonlasec8 agreement is Canada’s first federal Indigenous loan guarantee

The first federally backed Indigenous loan guarantee paves the way for increased prosperity for 36 First Nations communities in British Columbia.

In May, Canada Development Investment Corporation (CDEV) announced a $400 million backstop for the consortium to jointly purchase 12.5 per cent ownership of Enbridge’s Westcoast natural gas pipeline system for $712 million.

In the works for two years, the deal redefines long-standing relationships around a pipeline that has been in operation for generations.

“For 65 years, there’s never been an opportunity or a conversation about participating in an asset that’s come through the territory,” said Chief David Jimmie of the Squiala First Nation near Vancouver, B.C.

“We now have an opportunity to have our Nation’s voices heard directly when we have concerns and our partners are willing to listen.”

Jimmie chairs the Stonlasec8 Indigenous Alliance, which represents the communities buying into the Enbridge system.

The name Stonlasec8 reflects the different regions represented in the agreement, he said.

The Westcoast pipeline stretches more than 2,900 kilometres from northeast B.C. near the Alberta border to the Canada-U.S. border near Bellingham, Wash., running through the middle of the province.

Map courtesy Enbridge

It delivers up to 3.6 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas throughout B.C. and the Lower Mainland, Alberta and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

“While we see the benefits back to communities, we are still reminded of our responsibility to the land, air and water so it is important to think of reinvestment opportunities in alternative energy sources and how we can offset the carbon footprint,” Jimmie said.

He also chairs the Western Indigenous Pipeline Group (WIPG), a coalition of First Nations communities working in partnership with Pembina Pipeline to secure an ownership stake in the newly expanded Trans Mountain pipeline system.

There is overlap between the communities in the two groups, he said.

CDEV vice-president Sébastien Labelle said provincial models such as the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) and Ontario’s Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program helped bring the federal government’s version of the loan guarantee to life.

“It’s not a new idea. Alberta started it before us, and Ontario,” Labelle said.

“We hired some of the same advisors AIOC hired because we want to make sure we are aligned with the market. We didn’t want to start something completely new.”

Broadly, Jimmie said the Stonlasec8 agreement will provide sustained funding for investments like housing, infrastructure, environmental stewardship and cultural preservation. But it’s up to the individual communities how to spend the ongoing proceeds.

The long-term cash injections from owning equity stakes of major projects can provide benefits that traditional funding agreements with the federal government do not, he said.

Labelle said the goal is to ensure Indigenous communities benefit from projects on their traditional territories.

“There’s a lot of intangible, indirect things that I think are hugely important from an economic perspective,” he said.

“You are improving the relationship with pipeline companies, you are improving social license to do projects like this.”

Jimmie stressed the impact the collaborative atmosphere of the negotiations had on the success of the Stonlasec8 agreement.

“It takes true collaboration to reach a successful partnership, which doesn’t always happen. And from the Nation representation, the sophistication of the group was one of the best I’ve ever worked with.”

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Alberta

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Discusses Moving Energy Forward at the Global Energy Show in Calgary

Published on June 13, 2025

By

From Energy Now

At the energy conference in Calgary, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pressed the case for building infrastructure to move provincial products to international markets, via a transportation and energy corridor to British Columbia.

“The anchor tenant for this corridor must be a 42-inch pipeline, moving one million incremental barrels of oil to those global markets. And we can’t stop there,” she told the audience.

The premier reiterated her support for new pipelines north to Grays Bay in Nunavut, east to Churchill, Man., and potentially a new version of Energy East.

The discussion comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government are assembling a list of major projects of national interest to fast-track for approval.

Carney has also pledged to establish a major project review office that would issue decisions within two years, instead of five.

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