Resources Workers, Families and Communities Say Throne Speech Must Consider Importance of Oil & Gas, Mining, Forestry and Agriculture

"A majority of Canadians say: 'Let's work together through our COVID Recovery.'"

CALGARY, AB, Sept. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - As the Federal Government prepares to deliver this morning's Speech from the Throne, Canada Action is hopeful that we will hear about the 1.8 million Canadians from coast to coast who rely on our natural resource sector to provide for their families and their Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities every day.

Source: Poll, Ipsos, Sept 11th, 2020 (CNW Group/Canada Action Coalition)

"This country continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and we're working together to keep our communities and our families safe," Canada Action founder and spokesperson Cody Battershill said. "We're in awe of our front-line workers and everyone in our supply chain who have kept us fed, mobile and safe through the last several months.

"But the pandemic isn't over, and so we have to continue to work together – all of us -- on our COVID health response and our economic recovery plan. We hope the speech from the Throne keeps this in mind."

Two recent polls conducted earlier this month by Ipsos seem to support an inclusive approach to economic recovery. The first, for the Business Council of Alberta, found 75 percent of Canadians polled want the natural resource sector to play an integral role of our economic recovery from COVID-19, while continuing to protect the environment.

The second Ipsos poll, from the Montreal Economic Institute, found 71 percent of Quebecers polled would prefer to source their oil from Western Canada over a foreign supplier.

"Global demand for energy is growing," Battershill explained. "We should support our home-grown, innovative, highly responsible resource industries to meet not just domestic demand, but future global demand for energy, and that includes oil and gas."

We can support our mining industry for the electric vehicle supply chain. We can support our farmers who are feeding the world. We can also support our oil and gas industry which is a leading supplier of the worlds top 10 oil exporters on Environmental, Social and Governance metrics. We also have huge opportunities in low-carbon LNG exports. These are just a few examples of our natural resource opportunities.

Canada's oil and gas sector contributed more than $350 billion to Canadian governments between 2000 and 2018. A pillar of Canada's economy, oil and gas is also the largest investor in clean tech and environmental protection in the country.

Canada Action is a volunteer-initiated organization that supports Canadian energy development and the environmental, social and economic benefits that come with it.

SOURCE Canada Action Coalition

please contact Angela Gabot at [email protected] / [phone]