Brad Wall pushes oil and gas industry to stress benefits

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is expressing uneasiness about the upcoming federal election.

Speaking at the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association conference in Regina Thursday afternoon, Wall clearly stated how he feels.

“I’m worried about the federal election,” he admitted. “I’m just worried about what happens after the federal election in terms of this issue of energy transportation and energy development in general.”

The premier spent nearly half an hour firing back at critics of the oil and gas industry. This comes after the Leap Manifesto emerged this week, a document which proposes Canada be radically transformed. That includes the country switching to an economy completely based on renewable energy.

Wall made his stance crystal clear that non-renewable energy is a valuable part of the country’s economy both now and into the future.

“This is such an important sector to all of Canada. What we need in the prime minister’s office and in a cabinet is a champion for our energy resources and that’s what I’m concerned about, whether or not we’ll have that champion.”

He expressed doubts about the leaders of the NDP and Liberal parties, if they ultimately formed government after Oct. 19. He said right now he doesn’t see them as champions in this regard, as both leaders have come out against certain pipelines in the country.

Wall pleaded that we need to get the message out about the industry, outlining how we need to stand behind the facts of the industry and how it creates billions of dollars worth of revenue.

“This is a good sector, that oil and gas are not four letter words. That they create untold quality of life and wealth for all Canadians. Let’s make that case.”

At times during his speech, his fierce passion for the industry rose to the surface, explaining that if we don’t supply oil to our foreign partners, somebody else who cares less about the environment and human rights will.

At one point, a list of dozens of items made from derivatives of petrochemicals were highlighted on a projector screen, just a small sample of what Wall said were roughly 6,000 products in total. Items like toilet seats, dentures, dice and smartphones were included.

“The smartphones they use perhaps to send you angry Tweets about your industry or send you texts,” he joked.

Wall said he hasn’t yet heard back from any of the three main political party leaders after he sent each a letter asking them to detail their policies on energy and pipelines.