The Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, made the following comments following the conclusion of his meeting with his American counterpart on the margins of a special meeting of G7 Energy Ministers in Rome, Italy.
May 5, 2014 Rome Natural Resources Canada
“Today, Dr. Ernest Moniz and I participated in our first official face-to-face meeting. Dr. Moniz and I agree on the importance of enhancing global energy security.
“We also stand firm in our countries’ support for the people of Ukraine who seek to restore unity, democracy and political stability to their country.
“I reiterated to Dr. Moniz that Canada is a secure, reliable, responsible supplier of energy. The Canada–United States energy relationship is the single most important bilateral energy relationship in the world.
“Canada remains the United States’ largest source of crude oil and uranium. Between 2010 and 2013, net exports of electricity from Canada to the U.S., including hydro, increased from 25.4 TWh to 52 TWh, representing a two-fold increase.
“I also emphasized that we must increase efforts to connect markets and support open trade of energy, as economic growth and energy security are best supported by transparent and unimpeded markets.
“During our meeting, we agreed that the responsible use of energy — and the sources of that energy — are of paramount importance to our continued prosperity. We must continue to invest in technology and innovation, so that we meet our economic and environmental goals.
“Building on previous discussions between my predecessor, Minister Joe Oliver, and Dr. Moniz, I also affirmed my commitment to the various areas of the Canada–U.S. energy relationship, which includes:
- Ensuring the responsible development of the supply of unconventional resources, such as oil sands, tight oil and shale gas;
- Maintaining safe and modern energy infrastructure, including the integrated electricity grid;
- Ensuring the responsible use of energy and energy efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
- Enhancing collaboration in carbon capture and storage; and
- Advancing collaboration and leadership in multilateral and regional fora on global energy issues, such as energy market diversification and climate change.
“Finally, I also expressed my disappointment with the most recent announcement to delay a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline. The building of safe and modern infrastructure, such as Keystone XL, would enhance energy security and create thousands of jobs. Diversifying export markets for our energy is a priority for Canada, and we will continue to stress the need to put energy infrastructure in place, in an economically efficient manner.”
Alexandra Lemieux
Press Secretary
Office of Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources
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