My voice is cracking a bit. It's not out of emotion; it's just that I have a sore throat. So bear with me, please. I think it's important that this be in the record.
This is the executive summary from the oil sands experts group workshop, Houston, Texas, January 2006. I'll start with the introduction—and I'll provide the hard copy:
President Bush, Prime Minister Martin and President Fox officially announced the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) agreement in March 2005. The energy activities of the SPP encompass a trilateral effort among Mexico, the United States and Canada, to create a sustainable energy economy for North America. The Canadian oil sands are one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon resources and will be a significant contributor to energy supply and security for the continent. As such, the three countries agreed to collaborate through the SPP on the sustainable development of the oil sands resources and an ad hoc Oil Sands Experts Group was formed that includes the U.S., Canadian and Alberta Government representatives.
The first deliverable for the Group consisted of the following: “By January 2006, building on joint discussions with key stakeholders and scientific experts, issue a report that discusses the mid- to long-term aspects of the oil sands product market development and the infrastructure and refinery implications for increased oil sands market penetration”. To meet this deliverable, the Group convened a workshop in Houston, Texas, on January 24-25, 2006, that was jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). The Alberta Department of Energy, (ADOE) also participated in the workshop planning and delivery. Representatives from Mexico’s Secretariat of Energy participated as observers. This report summarizes the results of the workshop discussions.
The third paragraph is one that is indeed important:
The goal of the workshop was: “To identify and develop options to address the infrastructure, market access and market capacity issues in North America associated with the value-added development in Canada of the oil sands”. The workshop brought together experts representing the oil sands industry, refiners, marketers, pipeline companies, and government.
Delegates participated in the following working groups to examine the challenges associated with oil sands market development and propose potential actions: - Upgrading & Refining - Kicking the Natural Gas Habit - Markets - Pipeline Infrastructure
The most important challenges and proposed actions are summarized in the following sections.
We then go into the rest of the executive summary, which I think is indeed important, but these are the pertinent points.
I want to just point out, too, that by inviting ministers, we're going to hold them responsible. Ministers make the decisions, not the bureaucrats, so I think that's important to consider as well.
Mr. Chairman, I've read into the minutes of this meeting the things that I think are important about this meeting. I've also reiterated, I think very succinctly, the rationale for Monsieur Gourde's amendment, which I think is appropriate, considering that nowhere in this exercise were Industry Canada ministers, former or present, involved in any way whatsoever.