WASHINGTON – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird Thursday urged U.S. President Barack Obama to make a swift decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline “even if it’s not the right one.”
Speaking to a luncheon crowd at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters, he said, “If there’s one message I’m going to be promoting on this trip, it’s this: the time for Keystone is now.”
Then he added: “I’ll go further – the time for a decision on Keystone is now, even if it’s not the right one. We can’t continue in this state of limbo. U.S. energy independence is too important; the environment is too important; our economies are too important.”
Citing a speech by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in New York last year, he told his American audience “the logic behind the Keystone project is simply overwhelming.”
Energy, he said, is an “absolutely central part” of the North American trading bloc and will be a key part of its success against the gathering strength of rival trading blocs.
“All around us we see the emergence of regional trading blocs poised to challenge our integrated North American platform for international market share,” he said.
Baird spent most of his speech reminding Americans of the historic bonds in trade and strategic alliances that have drawn the two countries closer together over time.
And he repeated the caution that with or without the Keystone XL Canada intents to construct pipelines to the east and west coasts that will allow it to ship its oil and gas to a broader range of markets to attract higher prices.
“We can’t put all our eggs in one basket,” he said.
He said he expects the U.S. Department of State to release its final report on the Keystone XL proposal within the next few weeks after which Canada would like a quick decision from Obama. There is, however, the possibility that more pubic hearings could be held. Obama might simply delay a decision hoping to avoid the issue during the autumn mid-term elections.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday the decision will be made when it made.
Baird noted that even as Canada seeks to strengthen its trade with the U.S., a recent preliminary trade agreement with Europe, once signed, would end 98 per cent of EU tariffs on Canadian goods and reduce Canadian dependence on the United States.
The Keystone XL would transport oil from Alberta’s oilsands and the Bakken fields in South Dakota to Gulf Coast refineries.
Baird is in Washington to meet with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Mexican foreign affairs secretary, Jose Antonio Meade, for discussions on North American prosperity, North America’s leadership on energy and climate change, international engagement, and citizen security.
wmarsden@postmedia.com
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