Conservatives and NDP battle in war of words over competing energy policies

OTTAWA – The federal Conservatives and New Democrats are battling over national energy policy with competing economic claims.

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver tells the Vancouver Board of Trade that Canada is in a global race to secure markets for our oil and gas — an opportunity the Conservative describes as “perishable.”

Oliver, speaking an hour before NDP Leader Tom Mulcair’s energy-themed speech to the Economic Club of Canada in Ottawa, says the New Democrat’s policies would be a recipe for instability and uncertainty.

Mulcair is expected to propose binding environmental assessment reviews of major resource projects, reversing Conservative legislation that puts the final call in cabinet’s hands.

He’ll also revive the popular home retrofit program and is reiterating long-standing NDP policy to put a price on carbon through a cap-and-trade system.

The New Democrats are in favour of a West-to-East pipeline proposal within Canada, but have lined up against other pipeline projects to the Pacific Coast and to the U.S. Gulf Coast.