Let's talk about pipelines like grown-ups, says industry watcher

Energy industry observer Max Fawcett says it's time for a grown-up conversation about energy and the environment in Canada.

He believes that will require a little less public sniping from premiers — and a little more behind-the-scenes negotiation.

"I understand how politically advantageous it is for a premier of Saskatchewan and a premier of Alberta to be pro-pipelines, and I understand how advantageous it is for a premier of Quebec to be anti-pipelines," says Fawcett, who is the editor of Vancouver Magazine and the former editor of Alberta Oil Magazine.

"But the federal government's job, ultimately, is to corral provincial interests and direct them towards a national purpose. And that's what's missing here." 

Fawcett argues participants in the pipeline debate get backed into all-or-nothing positions, which he sees as impractical. 

"I'm not a fan of supply-side economics, which was all the rage in the 80s with Reaganomics and the idea that if you just cut taxes and get rid of government regulation, the economy will grow. By the same token, I'm not a fan of [supply-side environmentalism] — the idea that if you just block up pipelines and prevent them from getting built, oil sands production and other assets won't get developed. Oil is produced because there's a demand for it, and if it's not produced in Canada, it's going to get produced somewhere else," he says. 

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