Canada’s Oil And Gas Industry Is Critical To Its Economic Survival
- Canada’s oil and gas industry is yet to receive any funds from the federal government despite being that largest industry in the country.
- The nation’s economic recovery will be intimately linked with the recovery of its oil and gas sector.
- Top executives at oil and gas firms are still waiting for specifics on the loan program
Canada sees the oil and gas industry as crucial to its economy and economic recovery after the pandemic, and the federal government is working on getting funds through to the industry, which hasn’t seen any financial help from the loan programs, Federal Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan said.
“The bottom line is the country is not going to recover unless the oil and gas sector recovers,” Calgary Herald columnist Chris Varcoe quoted O’Regan as saying on Monday on an online seminar with Calgary-based ARC Energy Research Institute.
“This is the biggest industry in the country. It’s our biggest export, so there is a lot on the line for everybody,” the minister said.
Canada’s federal government has set up programs to support businesses, including in the oil and gas industry, with relief financing to help them overcome the crash in oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada’s oil firms, however, were still struggling early this month to understand what it takes to qualify for a federal government program. Meanwhile, industry representatives said they were unaware of any firm that could access financing under those programs.
Top executives at many Canadian oil firms are still waiting for specifics regarding the program for loans while their companies review eligibility criteria. Some managers believe that the federal government’s intentions are good, but the details are still unclear. Others feel deceived and question whether the federal government is sincerely intent on helping the oil industry.
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