Conservatives support providing military aid to Ukraine. However, the Liberal government should also be cutting off the source of funds for Putin’s war machine while helping the Canadian economy grow - that would have a bigger impact than $270 million in funding. Russia is still selling billions of dollars of natural gas to Europe, providing Russia with a valuable source of funds for its budget. According to the Council of the European Union, “For pipeline gas and LNG combined, Russia accounted for around 12% of total EU gas imports in 2025.” The Liberal government should announce a policy of displacing Russian natural gas with Canadian. That policy should include new legislation to reverse the anti-resource development laws on the books, overhauling a byzantine regulatory system and using the powers in Bill C-5 to quickly approve new pipelines and LNG facilities. Four years ago, when the war in Ukraine began, Conservatives called on the Liberal government to take action to approve and build new LNG pipelines so Canada could export to allies in Europe and displace Russian gas. The Liberal government refused to take action. As a result, EU countries like Germany were forced into signing long-term contracts with Qatar to purchase LNG. Now another war has broken out, this time in the Middle East. Qatari LNG shipments to Europe have been cut off, and Russia is taking advantage of the situation by rerouting oil and gas exports to benefit from higher prices, helping fund its war in Ukraine. Ten months have passed since Parliament gave the Liberal government extraordinary new powers in C-5 to expedite the approval and construction of new infrastructure, such as LNG export facilities and pipelines. Despite the passage of four years and Bill C-5, and despite the passage of one year with Prime Minister Carney in power, little has changed. Canada still has no new approved LNG export facilities or pipelines. And our closest allies are forced to purchase oil and gas from authoritarian states like Russia. And the Canadian economy continues to struggle, with GDP shrinking in two of the last three reported quarters. #cdnpoli
