Amid European countries being asked to cut their gas use in the face of ongoing uncertainty around energy supply from Russia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s been in talks for months with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about “how Canada can be a solution.”
“There are things that we’re trying to do in the very short term, as we look at this coming winter and the challenges that Germans are going to be facing with Russia choosing to weaponize the source of gas and oil for them,” Trudeau said Thursday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a callout on Wednesday for all European Union member countries to reduce gas consumption by 15 per cent in the months ahead, to ensure adequate storage for a “safe winter” as they brace for the potential that Russia cuts off key natural gas supplies.
“Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon. And therefore in any event, whether it’s a partial major cutoff of Russian gas or total cutoff of Russian gas, Europe needs to be ready,” von der Leyen said.
Europe has been facing an energy supply crisis as Russian President Vladimir Putin has been using countries’ reliance on Russia for oil and gas as what officials are viewing as a form of retaliation over sanctions imposed in support of Ukraine. This has resulted in considerable reductions to the flow of natural gas, leaving countries clamouring to shore up reserve supply.
“In the short term, yes supply chains around the world are looking at how we can deliver more oil and gas to Europe in the immediate,” Trudeau said. “But also how we move off of oil and gas from Russia, or from anywhere much quicker than before. So we’re seeing it as sort of a double-barreled issue.”
As The Canadian Press has reported, Canada has previously said domestic producers could increase their output by the equivalent of 300,000 barrels of oil and natural gas per day by the end of 2022, to help offset reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
Scholz has expressed interest in Canada becoming an energy alternative, and is planning to visit Canada in August “to secure key partnerships on energy security, critical minerals and clean technology,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office issued following the two leaders’ meeting at the G7 Summit in Germany in June.
Trudeau’s comments were made in response to a question from a reporter in Nova Scotia about the potential for LNG projects in that province to advance, given the current situation in Europe.
“I will say that we are looking at a number of different proposals around that,” Trudeau said, declining to speak to any specific potential LNG export facilities in that province or others, of which there aren’t currently any in Canada.
While not a new suggestion from the federal government, precisely how and when Canada would be able to supply LNG to Europe has not been articulated.
Though, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson recently told Bloomberg News that Canada was eyeing accelerating the conversion of an LNG import facility in New Brunswick that if pursued by its private owners, could start supplying Europe within three years.
The prime minister went on to suggest that the projects down the line could be used to export hydrogen, a clean fuel alternative.
“In the medium term, we know that Canada for example, is going to be a reliable, strong energy partner in the delivery of hydrogen,” Trudeau said. “So even as we’re looking at trying to get off fossil fuels… Knowing that we can invest in LNG infrastructure in the short-term that will then be useful for hydrogen in the medium and long-term, means that we can meet both those short-term challenges and long-term challenges.”
The prime minister said that Europe’s reliance on Russian oil and gas can’t continue, “because the billions of dollars that is sent to Russia for its oil and gas is then used to continue this illegal war against Ukrainians.”
Canada has been under fire in recent weeks from Ukrainians, their supporters, as well as the federal opposition parties over the decision to grant an exemption to Russian sanctions, permitting Siemens Canada to return one and allow for continued repair of a handful of other Russian-owned turbines used in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that supplies natural gas to Germany.
Canada faced pressure to see the turbines returned, with Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom claiming it needed the equipment or the already reduced gas flow through the pipeline could further restricted, something Putin continues to threaten, according to The Associated Press.
In their criticism over the move, the federal Conservatives accused Trudeau of looking the other way while Russia funds its war with the profits from the energy it sells to Europe, and called for Canada to “step up” when it comes to providing natural gas.
“The Liberal government has failed to recognize Canadian energy as vital to both our economy, as well as Canada and Europe’s collective security. Though the fifth-largest natural gas producer in the world, Canada has failed to step up in this time of extraordinary crisis,” said the Conservatives in a statement reacting to the Nord Stream 1 permit.
The federal government has defended the decision to return the turbines as a difficult one, but one that was necessary to ensure Germany and other European allies were able to “stay steadfast and generous in their support of Ukraine,” which would become more difficult to do if their economies were feeling the impact of reduced energy resources.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
