The leaders of Canada’s two main political parties, Justin Trudeau’s successor Mark Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, are vying for the office of Prime Minister ahead of the April 28 federal election. They are both promising to expand and modernize Canada’s energy infrastructure to reduce the country’s dependence on the United States for energy exports, amidst US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Mark Carney, the Liberal Party leader, plans to invest $3.5 billion in a new Trade Diversification Corridor Fund to accelerate trade-enabling infrastructure projects at ports, railroads, and other transportation hubs. This fund aims to help Canada diversify its trade and reduce dependence on the US market.
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party, vows to create a ‘Canada First’ National Energy Corridor to rapidly approve and build the infrastructure needed to end Canada’s energy dependence on the US. He promises to fast-track approvals for transmission lines, railways, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure, and to create a pre-approved transport corridor entirely within Canada.
Poilievre’s plan is to bypass the US market and sell Canadian resources to new markets, bring home jobs and dollars, and make Canada self-reliant and sovereign. He aims to meet the policy recommendations from Canada’s energy sector to end dependence on the US market and unleash Canada’s economy. Poilievre has also challenged the Liberal leader Carney to repudiate his commitment to “keep it in the ground” and to meet the same recommendations from the energy sector.
The two parties’ plans for energy development in Canada are in response to US President Trump’s tariff threats and a wake-up call for Canadian policymakers to diversify their energy exports. The chief executives of major Canadian energy companies have called on Canada’s main political parties to declare a Canadian energy crisis and speed up the construction of new oil and gas pipelines and LNG terminals.
The outcome of the election is expected to have significant implications for Canada’s energy industry, with the two leaders competing to form a majority government and implement their respective plans to reduce Canada’s dependence on the US market and strengthen its energy sector.