As Russia strangles gas flow, Canada has ‘responsibility’ to step up on LNG: Freeland – National

Canada has a “political accountability” to step up as Russia strangles flows of pure gasoline to European allies — and that features a position for Ottawa in advancing a possible East Coast LNG plant, says Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Talking with journalists from Saint John, N.B., on Wednesday, Freeland was requested about whether or not Canada ought to be doing extra to produce European international locations with LNG — liquefied pure gasoline — as these international locations quickly cut back their dependence on Russian gas following its invasion in Ukraine.

“I do assume that power safety as we speak, greater than ever, is a query of safety full-stop and Canada’s actually fortunate. We’ve got numerous power. I feel it’s a political accountability for us as a rustic to assist our allies with power safety,” Freeland mentioned in response.

“This can be a very robust second for a lot of European international locations proper now as they shift from their dependence from Russian oil and gasoline and I feel it’s essential for Canada to step up and say, ‘We’re going that can assist you.’”

She continued: “So sure, I feel there’s a position for the federal authorities working with provincial governments, working with the personal sector, working with our European allies to make this occur.”

On whether or not she backed a plant in Saint John particularly, although, Freeland didn’t say.

“I feel this isn’t the second to choose particular tasks,” she mentioned.

Canadian leaders have in recent times more and more touted LNG as a extra sustainable and aggressive product for buyers amid a world push to cut back emissions and mitigate local weather change.

However buyers together with Warren Buffet raised considerations in 2020 about “the present Canadian context” round LNG, which was broadly interpreted as skepticism in regards to the response to rail blockades and protests towards the Coastal GasLink pipeline on the West Coast.

Quick ahead two years, and the worldwide state of affairs could be very completely different.

Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine sparked huge and ongoing rounds of sanctions focusing on its leaders, monetary establishments and key industries together with oil and gasoline.

In response, Russia has choked off pure gasoline provides via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline into Europe, and international locations like Germany are actually dealing with the prospect of a winter gasoline scarcity.

That pipeline carries some 55 billion cubic metres of pure gasoline every year, and Russia has minimize the circulate to roughly 20 per cent regardless of the return by Canada of a controversial turbine from the pipeline that had been in Montreal for repairs.

International Affairs Minister Melanie Joly held a press convention together with her German counterpart earlier on Wednesday and described that call as one which “calls Putin’s bluff” and removes any believable excuses for not restoring the circulate of gasoline via Nord Stream 1.