Banff-Airdrie Conservative MP Blake Richards says while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claims to support Alberta's oil and energy sector, his lack of action proves otherwise.  

Richards says that was proven recently when the Liberals voted against a Conservative motion which called for the Prime Minister to prioritize the construction of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project and to use all of the tools at his disposal to resolve the current trade dispute between Alberta and B.C.

"The world price for oil is coming up but we're having a significant differential in terms of the price that we're getting for western Canadian select as compared to that world price, in the neighbourhood of about $30 a barrel that we're seeing there.  It puts us at a huge disadvantage and the reason we're at that disadvantage is because we don't have a diversity of markets, we're captive to the U.S. markets and we have to have some pipelines that get to tidewater to rectify that situation."

Richards says while the government talks a big game, their actions show something different.

"If the government wants to talk that they're going to approve pipelines, they actually have to take action to try and make sure that they're showing support to see those things built but everything that they've done has been to kill the opportunities that there exists for pipelines."

Richards thinks the PM is afraid to upset either side of the Trans Mountain Pipeline issue: the environmentalists in B.C. and the people in Alberta who rely on oil for their living.

"They're trying to ride both sides of the fence, and that never works out well for the person who's trying to do it.  All you do is anger everybody.  You've got to stand up and be counted for what you believe in and if the government believes in what they're saying, I know exactly what they'd be doing."

Richards says the trade dispute that's arisen between Alberta and our neighbours to the west is one that Trudeau has to get involved with.

"It's not doing anyone any good.  It's certainly not helpful to either province and it certainly isn't helpful to our country, creating jobs and national unity.  If the Prime Minister wanted to be a real leader, that's where he would step in and try to rectify the situation.  This Prime Minister wants to be liked, he doesn't want to offend anybody, but, guess what, when you're a leader you've got to take a stand, you've got to move forward and in my mind the best thing for everybody would be to see our energy products get to tidewater."

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