Search
Close Modal

‘Team Canada’ defends Line 5, highlights North American benefits

Published: April 05, 2021

A diplomatic solution is needed to resolve the Line 5 impasse; much is at stake and time is of the essence

Team Canada is synonymous with hockey success—all the way back to the dramatic Summit Series with the former Soviet Union in September 1972.

Disciplined teamwork and a relentless focus on defense led Canada from being down three games to two, to scoring with just 34 seconds left in the final, to win the series 4-3.

Almost 50 years later, a no-less-determined Team Canada alliance has emerged to defend against the potential shutdown of Line 5, which Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has pledged to do by May 12, by revoking the pipeline’s easement across the Straits of Mackinac.

Since the beginning of 2021, politicians and economic interest groups—chambers of commerce, labor unions, municipalities, agricultural, industrial and petrochemical associations—have been vocal in stressing the importance of keeping Line 5 operating.

An open letter endorsed by more than 40 organizations appeared in major Canadian newspapers in late January; since then, two grassroots, online petitions have generated close to 25,000 signatures from concerned citizens.

In February, a cross-partisan House of Commons Special Committee was created to explore the economic relationship between Canada and the U.S. and will deliver an interim report on the importance of Line 5 by April 15.

To inform the report, a series of hearings were conducted virtually, featuring business and labor groups such as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Laborers' International Union of North America, among others.

The hearings wrapped up March 30 with testimony from the energy ministers of Saskatchewan (Bronwyn Eyre) and Alberta (Sonya Savage), Mayor of Sarnia (Mike Bradley), and Ontario’s associate minister of energy (Bill Walker).

“Simply put, Line 5 is critical to our economic, environmental and energy security,” Walker summarized, adding that the Ontario government passed a motion last month advocating for the continued operation of Line 5.

Over several sessions, the committee heard repeatedly how devastating a shutdown would be – not only to Canada but also to Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

One of the earliest presentations came from Enbridge’s Vern Yu, Executive Vice President and President, Liquids Pipelines, who outlined a preferred path to resolving the Line 5 impasse.

“We believe a bi-national commitment to a diplomatic solution can resolve this in a timely manner,” Yu said. “On this side of the border, we get there by continuing to advance a ‘Team Canada’ approach, raising the importance of Line 5 at every available opportunity with officials in the U.S, including underscoring the application of the Transit Pipelines Treaty.

Yu was referring to a 1977 treaty between Canada and the U.S. which states that neither federal, state or provincial governments may implement measures which would “have the effect of, impeding, diverting, redirecting or interfering with in any way the transmission of hydrocarbon in transit.”

Now, Enbridge awaits the committee’s interim report on Line 5 and enters a mediation process with Michigan beginning April 16.

“Our goal has been to resolve the current dispute on Line 5 through negotiation or mediation from the very start,” Yu told the committee. “We believe it is in the best interests of both Canada and the United States to agree on a plan to keep the Line open and get the new proposed tunnel built in a timely manner.

“The stakes could not be higher. Line 5 is not just a pipeline—it's an economic lifeline in Canada and the United States.”

You may also like