While in Ukraine, Justin Trudeau said that “Canada is one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world,” but that his country must “move even faster on the transition towards net zero,”. 

Currently, European countries are facing impending energy issues due to possible sanctions on Russian energy products. 

Last week, on May 2, energy ministers from countries within the European Union held emergency energy talks amid Russia’s demand that buyers must pay for energy supplies in roubles or the gas supply will be shut off.

The emergency meetings came after Russia halted energy gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland after refusing to pay for Russian energy products in roubles last week. 

Currently, Russia supplies approximately 40% of the EU’s gas and 26% of its oil imports. 

Canada is well-positioned to help Europe with a transition away from Russian energy imports to Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG).

On July 21, 2021, the Quebec government refused to approve the construction of a liquified natural gas (LNG) facility that would have carried natural gas from Western Canada to Eastern Canada to be exported to Europe and Asia. 

The proposed project was to be built in Saguenay, Quebec but Quebec Minister Benoit Charette killed the project because the CAQ government did not believe the project would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and that the project would discourage European and Asian countries from investing in and moving to ‘cleaner’ energy sources.

“The promoter has not succeeded in demonstrating this. This is a project that has more disadvantages than advantages,” Minister Charette said in July 2021.

During Justin Trudeau’s trip to Ukraine on Sunday, May 8, he said “We’re looking to be good partners on energy with our European friends but we’re never slowing down in our fight against climate change,”.