CAODC Demands Federal Action on Pipeline

For Immediate Release: February 19, 2016

Today the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors’ president, Mark Scholz, appeared before the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Finance to participate in pre-budget consultations, where he shared the Oil Respect campaign with members of all federal parties.
 
As the federal government considers the next four years of its mandate, Scholz challenged the Prime Minister to, “Champion national pipeline projects because they are in the national interest of Canadians.” Scholz went on to say that, “If we care about the facts, jobs and our economy we need our elected representatives to fight for pipelines, something we see consistently from Premiers’ Wall and Gallant.”
 
Scholz further challenged the federal government to renew its commitment to evidenced-based policy: “We are tired of the misinformation and half-truths spread by foreign celebrities, radical environmentalists, and grandstanding politicians who twist the facts about our industry. So, what are the facts? Canada’s oil and gas industry meets what are now easily the toughest environmental standards of the large producing nations in the world. It employs 500,000 Canadians, is the largest private sector investor in Canada and contributes 17 billion dollars per year to support Canadian social programs. In 2015, the industry lost 60 billion dollars in revenue, equivalent to losing the entire auto sector from the Canadian economy in just one year.”
 
On the federal government’s recently announced changes to the National Energy Board, Scholz asked, “The federal government’s unnecessary delays on pipelines mean more unemployment for workers, less revenue to support social programs and, ironically, more oil production from countries with few or no environmental protections. How does that help anyone except corrupt dictatorships?”
 
Scholz’s comments are part of the Oil Respect campaign, which seeks to empower regular Canadians to voice support for the Canadian oil and gas industry. In addition to a petition campaign, website and social media activity, Oil Respect features a national speaking tour where Scholz will engage with Canadians about the numerous benefits of our oil and gas sector.

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For more information, contact:

John Bayko
Vice President, Communications
Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors
Suite 2050, 717-7 Avenue SW Calgary, AB T2P 0Z3
Phone: 403 264 4311 ext. 120
Email: jbayko@caodc.ca