Tariff war leads officials to reconsider major proposal: 'It's a question people have to ask themselves'

U.S. President Donald Trump recently announced a 25% tariff on imports from Canada, while energy resources will be subjected to a tariff of 10%. 

The move, which Trump said earlier this week remains on schedule to take effect March 4, has Québec province rethinking its policies on rejected dirty energy projects. But not everyone is on board — and there's a concerning reason why.

What's happening?

As detailed by Bloomberg, Québec has long held firm against constructing new oil and gas pipelines through the province, but Trump's pressure on Canada may change that. 

On Feb. 5, Québec Environment Minister Benoit Charette said federal and provincial officials could reconsider TC Energy Corp.'s Energy East pipeline and a project referred to as GNL Québec if they received amended proposals. 

The Energy East pipeline would transport western Canadian crude to eastern Canada refineries, while the GNL project focused on building a liquefied natural gas pipeline at an export facility in the Saguenay region.

In Québec, regulatory obstacles and "intense political opposition" shut down the Energy East project in 2017, per Bloomberg. Public opposition also helped block the GNL initiative.

According to Canada's National Observer, GNL Québec claimed its initiative to move fracked natural gas would be better overall, as it would release less harmful pollutants into the atmosphere compared to oil and coal projects elsewhere around the globe.

However, when the public became aware of GNL Québec's aims, it rallied to shut it down. More than 120,000 Québécois slammed the move via petition, as well as three Indigenous Innu communities, 648 scientists, 40 economists, and 250 health professionals. 

Why is this important?

Energy security and independence are shared goals across political lines, as achieving these objectives can lower electricity bills and boost economies, including by adding well-paying jobs. It is not uncommon to have different ideas about how to best support national development. However, some projects are more of a health risk than others, and the public pays the price. 

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Pipeline construction can pollute drinking water, and pipeline leaks — such as one discovered in November that released nearly 70,000 gallons of crude oil in Wisconsin — can lead to further contamination, lost recreational opportunities, and wildlife harm. 

Moreover, while natural gas is less deadly than oil and coal, the trio of dirty fuels are nonetheless the deadliest types of energy overall, according to Our World in Data. They also account for the bulk of the heat-trapping gases warming Earth at an unnatural rate — in other words, far beyond what would normally happen without human activity — and driving more intense extreme weather such as hurricanes and wildfires.

What's being done about this?

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly told a business audience in Montréal that Québécois must evaluate how they feel about the rebirth of pipeline projects and be prepared to use their voices if they believe Canada should take a different path. Renewables such as wind and solar, for example, are the safest form of energy, and generating power from them doesn't release troublesome heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. 

"It's a question people have to ask themselves here," Joly, who is from Québec, said, per Bloomberg. "At the same time … we have to reduce our CO2 emissions. I'm very, very interested to know: Does what's happened in the last few days change the game?"

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