In a recent podcast, Alberta’s energy minister stated that “Now is a great time to be building a pipeline because you can’t have protests of more than 15 people.” Sonya Savage made the statement on Friday during a podcast hosted by the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors in response to a question she was asked about the progress of the Trans Mountain Expansion project.
Environment Minister Jason Nixon and Energy Minister Sonya Savage announce the review of the Alberta Energy Regulator at the McDougall Centre in Calgary. Credit: Tom Ross
Savage later went on to imply that the pandemic will favor the pipeline construction saying:
“People are not going to have tolerance or patience for protests that get in the way of people working. People need jobs and those types of ideological protests that get in the way are not going to be tolerated by ordinary Canadians.”
Alberta minister says it’s a ‘great time’ to build a pipeline because COVID-19 restrictions limit protests against them
Savage’s spokesperson later clarified that they “respect the right to lawful protests” additionally saying “I would note that the limitations to public gatherings have benefited no one, including project proponents and any opposition groups”.