The momentum is growing for the pro-resource rally to be held in Moosomin on Saturday, Feb. 16, and in a federal election year, this is something the ruling Liberals in Ottawa should pay attention to — or ignore, at their own peril.
The first speaker announced to be coming was federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, and since the rally was announced, now Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Senator Denise Batters will be joining him at the podium as they speak about the oil industry, and about the dire need for pipelines in particular.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was recently in Regina and heard first-hand many of the top concerns of Saskatchewan residents, including the lack of pipeline development and the dire situation facing the oil industry. He said at the time he heard the concerns, but as the saying goes, “Not so you could tell …”
Southeast area residents, and the oil industry which is still of vital importance to this region, do not need lip service, they need action, and a big part of the action that’s needed is to move on getting pipelines built.
The whole reason for the huge differentials in the oil price is because Canadian oil producers are virtual hostages of the U.S. who can rip them off with basement prices, due to the fact that land-locked producers of crude petroleum don’t have many options available to them to move their oil to other markets off-shore who will pay fairer prices.
The Alberta government keeps running TV ads talking about what a great thing the TransMountain pipeline is, as if this is something happening already. There would be benefits to the industry and the economy if in fact that pipeline was being expanded, but nothing is happening with it and there are no benefits accruing to anybody as a result.
This planned rally may be centred in Moosomin, but it pertains to the entire southeast region and the oil industry centred here. The topics to be addressed there are the same as what the Weyburn Yellow Vest protesters have been raising as issues, and what protesters across Western Canada have been raising.
If Trudeau doesn’t want a massive fight on his hands in this election, he needs to pay attention to the points that are being made. They are pertinent issues that not only affect the local oil industry but the entire Canadian economy, something that anti-pipeline activists seem to conveniently forget as they block any efforts to build the much-needed pipelines in Canada. — Greg Nikkel
