India Wants as Much Canadian Energy As It Can Get, Says Minister Hodgson

India Wants as Much Canadian Energy As It Can Get, Says Minister Hodgson

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India wants Canadian energy, forestry, mining, agriculture says Minister Hodgson in CTV interview

India has joined a long list of countries that want more Canadian natural resources. The South Asian nation is telling Canada something we cannot afford to ignore: “We will buy as much of your energy as you can produce.”

In a recent CTV interview, Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, laid it out plainly, underscoring the strong demand from the world’s most populous country.

“You know, India is quite hungry for more energy. I heard loud and clear, they would take as much additional crude [oil] as we could supply,” Hodgson said, when asked by host Vassy Kapelos if there is an opportunity for Canada to supplant Russian energy supply on international markets.

The Minister made it clear that India’s interests go far beyond a single product.

“What I've heard from many companies in India is they would like to buy more of our conventional oil. They would like to buy more of our natural gas, our LNG. They would like to buy more, of our, LPG, which they use for clean cooking.”

India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy, with hundreds of millions of people rapidly entering the middle class. Increased energy consumption is both a result of and a catalyst for India’s middle-class expansion, as more Indians achieve higher living standards.

“There are 380 million, households in India that use LPG. This is a new export for Canada. We've just started exporting it. We have tremendous opportunity to grow that. So, the answer is yes, there is certainly opportunity, to sell more,” Hodgson continued.

“There's opportunity to sell many products, including critical minerals, including, metallurgical coal, including potash, including uranium. They are very keen to do more business with Canada.”

What an incredible opportunity this is for Canadians to establish a stronger trading relationship with a major player in global economic growth, helping to diversify our export markets and secure a strong and prosperous future.

The reality is that many countries, from Germany and Poland to Japan and South Korea, have long sought improved access to Canada’s energy and natural resources.

Hodgson also pointed to “an incredible opportunity, to, exchange capabilities with respect to renewables. What the Chinese and the Indian are doing in the way of baseload renewables, is, is quite amazing. And we've got some real opportunities to take some of the technology and bring it here to develop our resources.”

At the same time, countries like India see real potential in Canadian clean-tech solutions, he said.

“They look at many of our clean, tech companies, particularly in the area of CCUS, and see a real opportunity to take that, that technology there. So there's many, many opportunities for us to work together.”

Minister Hodgson is right. Canada’s path towards economic prosperity isn’t a choice between conventional resources and renewables.

Canadians can support all of the above: oil, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), hydro electricity, wind/solar power, nuclear power, mining, forestry, agriculture, seafood, and the rest of the resources we have in abundance.

To unlock our full economic potential through our greatest “natural” advantages, however, Canada must get serious about building. We must take concrete action now.

Our allies and partners can only buy products we can deliver to tidewater. That means more pipelines to the West Coast, expanded LNG capacity, rail and port infrastructure, and the electricity and road networks that support new mines and industrial development. When we build this infrastructure, we diversify our trade beyond a single customer, earn better prices for our resources, and strengthen our economic resilience in a world of shifting geopolitics.

When Hodgson was asked whether there is demand for additional pipeline capacity to Canada’s West Coast, his answer was rather straightforward:

“So assuming we build in an environmentally responsible way, and we do it in, with the support of First Nations, I believe there is demand for additional natural gas, LPG, and conventional oil. There's also demand for critical minerals. There's also demand for potash.”

This meaningful approach laid out by the Minister is exactly how Canada should proceed.

The message from India and many other countries is consistent: they want more Canadian energy and resources because they see us as a reliable, long-term partner. The only missing piece is the infrastructure to get our products to market.

It’s time for action. It’s time to build the pipelines, LNG facilities, rail links, ports, power plants, mines, and other nation-building projects that will allow Canada to seize this moment, support our allies, and secure a strong and prosperous future for our families.

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