Canada’s government is joining President Trump in criticizing a Montana judge’s ruling that blocked construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
“We are committed to supporting our energy sector and the hard-working Canadians it employs. Our government has always supported the Keystone XL project, and we are disappointed by this decision,” Vanessa Adams, spokeswoman for Canadian Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi, said in a statement.
“It is important for good, middle-class jobs in Canada and for a successful energy export market. The project has received all necessary approvals in Canada,” she said.
{mosads}Adams said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government “is taking an approach to resource development that will grow our economy and protect the environment. These priorities go hand-in-hand.”
Support for Keystone XL has been consistently strong in Canada since developer TransCanada Corp. first proposed it in 2008.
It would likely create thousands of jobs in Canada, while providing a major export opportunity for oil sands petroleum from Alberta.
Opponents of Trudeau’s ruling Liberal Party are also mad, and are blaming him and his government.
“This is a wake up call for Justin Trudeau. We can’t rely on foreign governments to help us get full value for our resources,” Andrew Scheer, head of the Conservative Party and leader of the official opposition in Parliament, said on Twitter.
“We need to take matters into our own hands and build our own pipelines so all Canadians can benefit from our oil and gas industry!”
Environmental and indigenous rights groups have cheered the decision as a significant win for the planet.
Trump, on the other hand, called it “a political decision” and “a disgrace.”
Montana federal Judge Brian Morris’s ruling issued late Thursday found that the State Department didn’t properly justify why it reversed the reasoning for rejecting Keystone XL in 2015, and it needs to more thoroughly examine issues like the impact of low oil prices and potential American Indian resources along the route.