Regina Chamber joining pro-oil rally at legislature

The advocacy group Canada Action will be holding a rally at the provincial legislature on Tuesday morning in support of the country’s energy industry.

Joining them will be the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce, which has partnered with them for the event.

CEO John Hopkins told John Gormley they’re trying to counter demonstrations held by environmental groups.

“It used to be as business organizations, we would sit there, write a letter. ‘Dear, mister minister,’ or ‘Dear, prime minister’ and that’s the way you did things. That doesn’t seem to work anymore,” Hopkins said.

“Now it’s time to get out there and let your voice be heard, get other people involved. If that’s the way the game is played now, then we need to meet the environmentalists and say we’re going to do the same thing.”

He said the energy sector faces many challenges including pipeline capacity, tidewater access and regulatory hurdles.

“There’s jobs for Canadians that are at stake here,” Hopkins said.

“We have some of the highest standards in the world to meet … at the same time we’re going through Bill C-69, we’re importing oil from some of the countries with the worst human rights experiences in the world, as well as almost no environmental standards.”

The rally starts at 11:45 a.m.

Premier Scott Moe is also expected to speak at the event.