Back in August 2022, former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Canada to hold a series of meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
At the time, Scholz was hopeful that Canada 鈥� a G7 member and NATO ally of Germany 鈥� would agree to serve as a supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG). This was a critical request, as Germany was seeking alternatives to the natural gas it had been importing from Russia.
Russia uses revenue from the sale and export of its natural gas to countries such as Germany to help finance its illegal war against Ukraine.
Unfortunately, Trudeau did not endorse Germany鈥檚 efforts. He stated that, in his view, 鈥渢here has never been a strong business case鈥� for exporting natural gas from Canada to Europe. With that, the door was essentially slammed shut.
Trudeau and his Liberal government maintained that the use of fossil fuels was declining due to concerns about climate change.
In contrast, the Conservative official opposition has long supported exporting Canadian LNG to new markets. This would diversify our energy trade and reduce our current dependence on LNG exports to the United States.
There鈥檚 also an environmental benefit: where exported LNG can replace coal-fired electricity, it can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas burns much cleaner than coal 鈥� another point the official opposition has consistently advocated.
As is often the case, these Conservative positions were criticized by the Liberals and many of their associated allies in media, academia and other institutions.
Fortunately, this past week brought a new development. As reported in national media 鈥� and I quote directly from a headline: 鈥淐anadian Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said his government is taking steps toward exporting natural gas to Europe, and criticized former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not making the same effort.鈥�
This is clearly a vindication for the official Conservative opposition. More importantly, it signals that the current federal Liberal government may be willing to take the necessary steps to see Canada play a larger role in foreign affairs while also increasing and diversifying our energy exports.
I say 鈥渄iversified鈥� because, at present, most of our natural gas exports go south to the United States.
During Prime Minister Mark Carney鈥檚 recent visit to Poland, the Polish ambassador to Canada noted that some of the LNG his country imports 鈥� at a premium from the United States 鈥� originates from Canada. He welcomed the idea of Canada considering Poland as a direct LNG partner. Poland, a fellow NATO member, remains heavily dependent on coal.
Direct Canadian LNG exports would not only support Canadian jobs but also help reduce air pollution in Poland.
Another surprise was the Liberals鈥� announcement that they could potentially support expanding the northern port of Churchill, Man. This port could be used to increase the shipment of LNG through Hudson Bay and ultimately the Arctic Ocean en route to Europe.
This is another idea the official Conservative opposition and our leader, Pierre Poilievre, have been advocating for several years.
This raises an important question: Will the Liberals follow through on these announcements?
We do not yet know the answer, given the Liberals鈥� unfortunate habit of announcing initiatives they have no actual intention of delivering.
As the official opposition, we will continue to hold this government to account. At the same time, as Poilievre has stated: 鈥淲e will work with the government when they follow common-sense policies.鈥�
My question this week: Do you support exporting Canadian LNG to European countries such as Germany and Poland?
You can join the always spirited discussion on my Facebook page. I can also be reached at or toll-free at 1-800-665-8711.
Dan Albas is the Conservative MP for the riding of Okanagan Lake West鈥擲outh 琉璃神社.
