Caption:  Larry Maguire was recently sworn-in for the fourth time as the Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris.

 

Maguire appointed as Conservative Deputy Shadow Minister for Natural Resources

OTTAWA – Media Release, November 19, 2021

After recently being sworn-in as the Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris, Larry Maguire has been tapped to be the Conservative Deputy Shadow Minister for Natural Resources.  Maguire will be working closely with the Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner on this important file, which includes the energy, mining, nuclear and forestry sectors.

“The energy sector is an industry that puts food on the tables of hundreds of thousands of Canadian families,” said Maguire. “It generates untold growth and wealth across the country and provides billions of dollars into government coffers for programs and services.”

This appointment is fitting as Westman is home to Manitoba’s petroleum reserves, which can be found along the northeastern flank of the Williston Basin. 

Since producible petroleum was discovered near Virden, Manitoba in the 1950s, other deposits have been located across the region. As of October 2021, there are approximately 5194 wells capable of production.

The energy industry directly contributes to thousands of jobs across the province and supports countless families.  Each year the industry invests hundreds of millions of dollars in the province, which does not include royalties paid to mineral rights holders nor the taxes collected by the various levels of government. Many businesses and jobs across Westman also indirectly benefit from the industry and the total economic impact is worth millions of dollars.

Maguire is eager to take on this new role as he recognizes the massive contributions the energy sector and its workers make to our country.  He said, “Workers and their families have felt the financial consequences of projects being abandoned and billions of dollars have fled the country.  This reliable source of energy must be kept viable to help ourselves and other countries reduce emissions while alternative sources are developed.”

Since 2015, thousands of energy sector jobs have been lost and there has been over $200 billion in cancelled projects.  For various political and regulatory reasons, Energy East, Keystone XL, and the Northern Gateway Pipeline were ended and the Liberal government nationalized Trans Mountain before its expansion was abandoned. 

Westman was directly impacted by the cancellation of the Energy East pipeline, which would have shipped western Canadian energy to eastern Canada to be refined and would have lessened the dependence of importing foreign petroleum. 

Another issue Maguire will be focusing on is fixing the Impact Assessment process for energy projects so that it upholds best-in-class environmental standards and sets clear expectations and timelines for environmental reviews.

​Maguire believes we should be proud of our energy sector as projects are adherent to strict environmental and labour standards.  He iterated that if Canadian energy is not available to the world market, the void will be filled by resources from countries with lower environmental and human rights standards – countries that do not undertake mitigation and remediation efforts that we already do in Canada.  

Maguire stated, “Canada’s greatest ability to address global environmental challenges is dependent on getting natural gas to international markets to lessen the reliance on coal.”