Enbridge CEO among delegates on Harper’s China visit
Over 40 Canadian executives are joining the Prime Minister on his trip to talk trade in China. One of them is Patrick Daniel, CEO of Northern Gateway pipeline proponent Enbridge.
As domestic debates continue over oilsands development and the Northern Gateway pipeline, Enbridge CEO Patrick Daniel is among the over 40 Canadian executives in a delegation joining Prime Minister Stephen Harper on his four-day visit to China.
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In addition to senior cabinet ministers like Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver and Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird, Harper’s delegation also includes top corporate executives from Shell Canada, Canadian Oil Sands Trust, Bombardier, Air Canada, Manulife, Scotia Bank and Canfor.
According to Dr. Paul Evans, Director of UBC’s Institute of Asian Research, the Prime Minister’s trip overseas is of vital importance in developing relations around trade, tourism and energy security—not just in China but across Asia and beyond.
“This is a heavily symbolic visit, and one of the key symbols and signifiers is that Chinese investment in the energy sector in Canada is going to be welcomed. It’s subject to some conditions, but generally it’s a pretty open door,” said Evans.
“I think that [Harper] is going to be telling the Chinese that this is not just about China and it’s not just about Asia. Potentially his vision could extend to exports of Canadian energy down the West Coast to the United States or even further south.”
Given the turmoil at home over Enbridge’s plans for a pipeline to the West Coast, Evans says he finds Daniel’s presence on the trip quite “concerning”.
“That indicates not just a general approach, but that there is a blessing from the federal government—which has been hinted at in other contexts—of the specific Enbridge proposal,” he said.
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