Randy Hoback ( File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

Good neighbours

P.A. MP joins new special committee on relations with U.S.

Feb 20, 2021 | 8:00 AM

Prince Albert MP Conservative Randy Hoback is one of the 12 members of a new Special Parliamentary Committee on Canada⁠–⁠U.S. Economic Relations. He hopes it will nurture a better relationship with the U.S. and even help revive the Keystone XL pipeline.

The committee was set up on the Conservative’s urging to conduct hearings to examine and review all aspects of the economic relationship between Canada and the United States. It could meet for the first time as early as next week.

Hoback said the group—which is made up of six Liberal MPs, four Conservatives, and one each from the NDP and Bloc Quebecois—will give a crucial focus to the cross-border relationship during what he called “these turbulent economic times.”

“I think we learnt in the last NAFTA negotiations that the Canada–U.S. relationship was one that just happened, and it never really had any special focus,” Hoback told paNOW. “We realized how vulnerable we are by not having that special focus. You need a committee to deal with issues rapidly.”

Hoback, who is also on the Standing Committee on International Trade, said this new group can look for opportunities for Canadian business while making the North American continent more competitive.

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Priorities will include the expressed bilateral economic priorities of both national governments; natural resources issues, including oil and gas exports and transportation, softwood lumber exports and related jobs; Buy American procurement rules, requirements and policies; and, the Liberal government’s efforts with the U.S. Administration to ensure a stable and predictable supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses for Canada.

Hoback said this special committee will have the power to call on the best minds to testify before it.

“I can ask for the best of the best economists, trade lawyers and security personnel, we can reach out to both Canada and the U.S. and other parts of the world to get the best information to get the best policy,” he said.

Hoback explained pipelines are a key element that needs to be discussed and not only the latest tension over Line 5. Michigan has threatened to terminate the line, which carries oil from Michigan to Ontario, over environmental concerns. He also retains hopes for the resurrection of the Keystone XL pipeline nixed by Biden in an executive order last month.

“I think we’ve got a job to do with Biden to explain to him that the Fort McMurray that he thought he knew is not the Fort McMurray of today,” Hoback said, pointing to what he called ‘natural allies’ among some Democrats and Republicans who are also fighting to keep the proposed and partially built pipeline. “When you look at the environmental record of Canadian oil and gas producers, it’s not what it was 15 or 10 years ago. We have some education to do in the U.S.”

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow