Identify opportunities to support workers and businesses in the natural resource sectors to export their goods to global markets, including twinning the Trans Mountain Pipeline.

What success looks like

Increased access to global markets to support investment in Canada’s natural resource sectors and higher exports creating more good-paying, middle class jobs for Canadians.

Government's narrative on progress

The Government of Canada’s support for exports contributes to the growth of companies and the economy, and creates well-paying jobs for Canadians. Budget 2017 included the goal to grow the country’s goods and services exports 30% by 2025. The export of natural resources represents almost half of Canada’s exports and the natural resource sectors will be key contributors in meeting this goal. The Government of Canada supports market access for Canada’s natural resource sectors through negotiations on free trade agreements, and bilateral dialogues and partnerships with counterparts. The government also works with provincial governments and industry to foster innovation and to expand markets. This includes through initiatives such as Mission Innovation, the Clean Growth Hub (launched in January 2018) and market development offices in key global markets, as well as through federal-provincial-territorial collaboration under the Energy and Mines Ministers' Energy Working Group. Canada’s hosting of the Clean Energy Ministerial and Mission Innovation meetings in Vancouver in May 2019 is an opportunity to showcase Canadian leadership and strengthen international trade and investment opportunities through cooperation among governments, the private sector, and international organizations to enhance access to affordable, secure and sustainable energy. On December 18, 2018, the Government of Canada announced $1.6 billion in investments to support jobs and workers in Canada’s oil and gas sector, foster competitiveness, and improve the long-term environmental performance of the sector. The Government of Canada facilitates access to new markets for mining services and suppliers – including those specializing in electrification, renewable energy, and clean tech – through mining trade shows and missions abroad, including in China (China Mining), Africa (Mining Indaba), and the Americas (Expomin). Developing additional export opportunities for this sector is an objective of the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP), for which action items are currently in development. Through the Softwood Lumber Action Plan, the Government of Canada invested $45 million over three years in the Expanding Market Opportunities Program, which supports market development offices in China, Japan, South Korea, the UK and India, to promote Canadian expertise in low-carbon construction with wood, using Canadian wood products. This program includes investment in the Sino-Canadian low carbon ecodistrict, whose first phase showcases 100 townhomes built with Canadian lumber and energy efficient technologies. The Government of Canada also supports private industry in developing key infrastructure in Canada to get natural resources to market, such as federal support for the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in Kitimat, British Columbia, which is expected to create 10,000 jobs at the height of construction. The Minister released the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan in March 2019 at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Conference. The Plan focuses on several priorities that include increasing Canada’s global leadership, and strengthening Canada’s business and innovation environment for the minerals sector to make it more competitive and attractive for investment. At CERAWeek 2019 the Government of Canada met with US and Mexican counterparts where they agreed to develop an action plan to further strengthen energy cooperation in four areas: facilitating cross-border energy infrastructure; R&D and innovation; clean energy, including renewables; and cybersecurity. The Government of Canada supports good projects that contribute to our goal of making Canada a global leader in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project is part of that plan. It holds the potential to open important new markets for Canadian resources, delivering fairer prices that will keep Canadians working, productive and innovating as we build our cleaner future together. The TMX project alone has the potential to create thousands of good, middle-class jobs for Canadians. All of these benefits informed the government’s decision to purchase the existing Trans Mountain Pipeline and the terminal assets. The Government of Canada has taken steps to respond to the Federal Court of Appeals decision that quashed the GiC’s project approval on August 30th, 2018. On September 21st, 2018, the government instructed the National Energy Board (NEB) to reconsider its recommendations taking into account the effects of project-related marine shipping. On October 3, 2018, the government announced it was moving forward with Phase III consultations by engaging in a specific and focused dialogue with all Indigenous groups impacted by the TMX project. The government also announced the appointment of former Supreme Court of Canada Justice, the Honourable Frank Iacobucci, as a Federal Representative for the consultation and accommodation process. On February 22, 2019, the National Energy Board (NEB) delivered its Reconsideration Report to the Government of Canada, with a recommendation that the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (Project) is in the Canadian public interest and should be approved. The NEB will impose 156 conditions on the Project if approved, and has made 16 additional recommendations to the Government of Canada.

Note: this is the government's own description, not an independent assessment.