Greg Ebel, President and CEO of Canadian pipeline and energy company Enbridge, has urged Canada to show leadership to the world in lowering global emissions, reducing energy poverty and supporting the progress of Indigenous communities in the country.
In an address to the Toronto Region Board of Trade, Ebel reportedly stated that climate change is a pivotal moment and Canada has an opportunity to show leadership, noting that the opportunity is natural gas.
“The world recognizes the value of Canada’s vast natural resources and the impact those resources can have for energy security, reliability – and importantly – reducing global emissions. Our goal as individuals, as a nation and as a global community must be to reduce emissions across our planet as a whole. And LNG (liquified natural gas) helps get us there,” said Ebel.
Enbridge’s CEO called on the Canadian Government to champion the sustainable production of natural gas and to reduce barriers to the responsible development of LNG, urging governments to create the conditions for investment in LNG exports to help global nations switch from coal power generation to lower-carbon natural gas.
“We can still be a global leader, a role model for responsible energy production, and a positive force in creating a better future across Canada and throughout the world. We can, yet again as a country, answer the call and make a historical contribution to the world’s progress. It’s time for our leaders in government and industry to rise to the challenge,” said Ebel.
The CEO also emphasized the need for a national Indigenous loan-guarantee program to ensure that Indigenous communities have a seat at the table and a chance to benefit from Canada’s natural resources:
“Many Indigenous groups have natural resources that they want to develop. They want to build a better future for themselves – and for the generations to come. The energy industry has an opportunity – in fact, I would argue it has an obligation – to help them become full economic partners.”
