Mr. Speaker, just last night on As It Happens, CBC Radio host Susan Bonner asked a question of Dan Halyk, CEO of Total Energy Services in Calgary. For the first time in 22 years, this company is shutting down field locations.
She asked him about the glut and the fact that there is no way to move the product because of the lack of pipelines in the country. This was his response, and I would appreciate a perspective from our member on this side of the floor who just shared very good comments.
He said:
First of all, we foresaw a rise in production, particularly in oil, five years ago, but expectations were that reasonable rules which are in place for construction and development of infrastructure pipelines are in place, and I think every fair-minded, reasonable, balanced person expected pipelines to get built. I don't think anyone would have foreseen the extreme difficulties we have in this country in constructing that infrastructure.
Industry invested in good faith on the premise that reasonableness would prevail. That certainty is not what's happening, and the end result is production, particularly in the case of larger projects which take years to develop, have now come on-stream. What hasn't progressed is construction of infrastructure. That is a huge problem. It is not an industry problem in the sense that industry was ready, willing and able to invest and proceed. It's been the political side that has failed.