Canada must act now to reinforce our economic security and ensure a prosperous future for our families.
That means reducing regulatory burdens and attracting new capital investment into our natural resource sectors.
It’s time to expedite new pipelines, power lines, ports, railways, and roads to control our own economic destiny.
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#1 – We Must Diversify Our Export Markets
As an export-based economy, Canada must act now to expedite new resource development and transportation infrastructure including pipelines, power lines, ports, railways, and roads, which will help us diversify our trade relationships and secure our economic future.
Natural resources account for roughly 50% of Canada’s total merchandise exports every year [1], while exports account for approximately 20% of our national economy [2]. Our exports help us pay for everything we must import; they help make life more affordable by supporting the value of our Canadian dollar and improving our purchasing power.
Currently, 75% of Canada’s exports are destined for U.S. markets [5], making our economy highly reliant on a single trading partner. By fostering new trading partnerships with other nations abroad, we can reduce this dependency and insulate our economy from tariffs.
Canadians can choose to secure our long-term prosperity while maximizing the value of our natural resources – or, we can let ourselves be beholden to a single trading partner.
The time to act and take control of our economic independence is now.
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#2 – Resources Form the Foundation of Canada’s Economy
A strong resources sector means more job opportunities, economic growth, and prosperity for all Canadians. Accounting for:
- 3 million jobs [1]
- 21% of our economy [1]
- 50% of our exports [1]
- 45% of our manufacturing output [3]
… our energy, forestry, mining, and agriculture sectors generate tens of billions of dollars to support critical social programs such as healthcare, education, and emergency services [4].
Supporting our job-creating, prosperity-generating resource sectors can help Canada address current economic challenges, including weak business investment, low productivity, and regulatory uncertainty [1].
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#3 – Canada Must Reduce Regulatory Barriers and Attract Investment
Canadians can no longer afford to miss out on economy-boosting opportunities to develop our vast wealth of energy, forestry, mining, and agriculture resources. That means streamlining our regulatory systems and prioritizing natural resource projects to bring back investor confidence and job creation to our country.
Overburdening and unnecessary regulations like the oil and gas emissions cap and the West Coast tanker ban – while global oil and gas demand is growing to new record highs – do nothing to promote Canadian competitiveness in an ever-changing global market.
Several now-cancelled LNG facilities in Canada, for example, like the $36 billion Pacific Northwest LNG project, underwent gruelling regulatory processes with exceptionally high costs and no assurances from Canadian governments – all leading to their eventual demise [6]. All this, despite many countries including Germany, Japan, and South Korea that have said they want or would support Canadian-made LNG.
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Premiers Say It's Time to Build Canada Up
David Eby, Premier of British Columbia
“If you’re not buying oil and gas from Canada and British Columbia, the alternative is Venezuela.” [CPAC]
Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario
"So everyone’s heard of the Ring of Fire, it’s been going on for 25 years. Assessment, after assessment, after assessment, after assessment. What, are we going to have assessments the rest of our lives, while America and the rest of the world are trying to eat our lunch? One of the most powerful tools we have in Canada is our energy and critical minerals. Enough of the assessments and waiting around…"
François Legault, Premier of Quebec
“What do we do anyway? If there is or not some tariffs? We need to have diversification of market. So it includes working better with other provinces, but also with Europe, with other countries than U.S.” [CTV]
Tim Houston, Premier of Nova Scotia
“A project like the Energy East could move resources from the west to the east and then onto Europe. It will open up incredible opportunities for our country.” [Global News]
Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta
“I would love to also talk with Quebec about how we might restart Energy East through their province. Would they be willing to do that? I'd like to start talking with British Columbia how we might reactivate Northern Gateway... We have to make a choice here and we have to understand the reason we've become so dependent on the United States is that we haven't been engaging in those partnerships across the country.” [CTV News]
Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba
“Well, yesterday we had this amazing announcement. Some $80 million being invested into the port of Churchill and the rail line that serves it, so that our mining products, our AG products, can get to the EU, can get to Brazil, we can help resupply Nunavut. This is a really smart investment… it's also about diversifying the markets that we can ship our goods to from here in Manitoba.” [CPAC]
Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan
“We all know the story behind Northern Gateway and Energy East. And, you know, those are two projects that I think we as Canadians should certainly become advocates for sooner rather than later. So that we are energy independent not only on a continental basis, but also ensuring that we have access to other markets…” [CPAC]
Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland & Labrador
“We should be diversifying our economy. We should be diversifying our marketplace. We need to have the flexibility to pivot to other markets… irrespective of the trade dispute with the United States currently, it would be wise from a fiscal and economic situation and strategy to be looking at other markets.” [CPAC]
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Let’s Build Canada Up Together
Canadians can no longer afford to miss out on natural resource development. With $670 billion in cancelled or suspended resource projects since 2015 and facing new challenges such as U.S. tariffs, we must act now to diversify our markets and secure a strong economic future for our families and country.
Global demand for food, wood, minerals, metals, oil, and natural gas is growing. We must take this opportunity to empower Canadian and Indigenous communities through the development of our vast natural resource wealth.
It’s time to build Canada up.
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SOURCES:
1 – Canadian Chamber of Commerce. (2024 September). Canada’s Natural Wealth. [PDF]. Retrieved from https://businessdatalab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Canadas_Natural_Wealth.pdf
2 - Scotiabank. (2025 January). Canada-US Trade; Getting Up To Speed. [PDF]. Retrieved from https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/about/economics/economics-publications/post.other-publications.canada-and-us-economics-.canada-and-us-decks.trade-stats--january-31--2025-.html
3 – Macdonald Laurier Institute. (2024 May). Canada’s Resource Sector. [PDF]. Retrieved from https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240402_Canada-Golden-Goose-CrossMintz_PAPER-v9-FINAL.pdf
4 - Natural Resources. (n.d.). 10 Key Facts on Canada’s Natural Resources - 2023. [web page]. Retrieved from https://natural-resources.canada.ca/science-data/science-research/data-analysis/10-key-facts-canada-s-natural-resources-2023
5 – BBC. (2025 February). Canada leaders take push against tariffs to White House. [web page]. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj91xrp4zyjo
6 – Financial Post. (2017 July). Pacific Northwest LNG, 2012-2017: How to kill an LNG project in Canada. [web page]. Retrieved from: https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/pacific-northwest-lng-2012-2017-how-to-kill-an-lng-project-in-canada