Everyone Benefits From Energy East Says NB Premier
FREDERICTON–New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant today spoke out against opposition to the Energy East pipeline by a number of mayors from the Montreal area.
“All Canadians would see benefits stemming from the pipeline,” said Gallant in a statement issued from Davos, Switzerland, where he has been attending a gathering of global political and business leaders.
“The project would create thousands of jobs, add billions of dollars to the economy, as well as billions of dollars in additional revenue for the federal and provincial governments that would go towards providing strong education and health-care systems.”
Gallant spoke to media at Davos today alongside Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi. In response to Montreal mayor Denis Coderre slamming the $15.7 billion pipeline project, Nenshi told CBC’s Power and Politics, “He’s wrong, it’s as simple as that.”
“If you’re really worried about transporting bitumen, it’s easier to control a spill like that,” Nenshi said. “It’s much easier to manage a pipeline spill than to manage a problem with oil by rail. He knows all of that, I’m sure he knows all of that.”
Gallant’s statement said that, “The pipeline is an important project for the national energy sector. We should ask ourselves what is the alternative to not helping and supporting this important part of our economy?”
Yesterday, the province’s Energy and Mines minister Don Arsenault said he was “disappointed that they don’t see the benefit that it will bring to the country” along with Quebec and New Brunswick.
“Sometimes I wish they’d look more at the real facts around this,” said Arsenault. “There’s no doubt that more than 3,000 jobs will be created here in New Brunswick, there’s also going to be over 3,000 jobs created in the province of Quebec as well.”