DOB Energy - Exclusive
Indigenous leaders lobby ambassadors on LNG ahead of G7 meeting
By Cathryn Atkinson May 18, 2023
VANCOUVER - First Nations LNG Alliance CEO Karen Ogen said she was among a group of Indigenous leaders who met with embassy representatives for seven G7 countries to discuss their concerns about what they see as Canada’s waning commitment to LNG and the impact this would have on its First Nations partners.
The G7 is due to meet in Hiroshima from May 19 to 21.
Ogen made the comments at the Canada Gas & LNG Conference in Vancouver on May 10, during a special session on the relationship between the FNLNG Alliance and LNG Canada.She said meetings took place in early April at the embassies for the U.S., India, Japan, Italy, Poland, France, and Germany.
“We want to keep LNG on the radar,” Ogen told the conference.
“We've met with the different embassies to talk about how important [LNG] is to our communities and how if we say that we're stewards of the land, we're just as concerned about the environment, the GHG emissions. If we were to get these countries off coal, that brings down global greenhouse gas emissions more.
“I think that's the big message that people are missing, that there's still countries that struggle to get off of coal for heating their homes.”
Ogen said she was invited to take part in the meetings by Shannon Joseph, chair of Energy for a Secure Future, along with Chief Crystal Smith of the Haisla First Nation, Chief Billy Morin from Enoch Cree First Nation, and John Desjarlais from the Indigenous Resource Network.
Joseph said she briefed a representative from the Prime Minister's Office following the embassy visits.
"Because Indigenous people are owners that's going to make these projects advance in a better way," Joseph said.
"A lot of the folks we met were not aware of this... they were happy to understand that this is what's going on. A lot of them had heard Indigenous people oppose development and so now they know that's not really always true. All of them conveyed that they would love to buy LNG directly from Canada."
She added: "Some of them spoke to getting gas via the United States, but they would love to get it straight from us because it would save them money and diversify suppliers... this is something we also conveyed back to the [PMO]."
G7 meeting starts May 19
According to The Financial Times , Germany plans to push for G7 leaders to endorse public investment in the natural gas sector at the May 19 to 21 summit in Hiroshima, and is pushing for wording in the G7’s communique that states the need for natural gas as a “transitional source of energy.”
The European Union labelled natural gas and nuclear as “green energy” leading to several legal challenges from environmental groups.
And New Brunswick’s Premier Blaine Higgs last week met with European of business leaders to discuss potential investor interest in Canadian
LNG and hydrogen.
While attending the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam, Higgs told the Financial Post that in the wake of Repsol’s withdrawal from a planned LNG project in New Brunswick “I feel confident we would have investors with serious capital if we had an open door to do such projects. Europe’s need for energy is urgent.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Canada in August 2022, hoping a democratic G7 ally would one day ship his country liquefied natural gas to replace Russian gas imports.
Environmental and regulatory hurdles to gas pipeline construction are a stumbling block to new LNG terminals on Canada's Atlantic coast, and support for the idea in Ottawa had been cooling. Last May, Canada said it was in talks with two companies to possibly accelerate LNG projects there that could ship gas to Europe within a few years.
Those projects involved Repsol and Pieridae Energy Limited which had proposed the Goldboro LNG facility in Nova Scotia.Days before Scholz arrived, Canadian Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told Reuters the government now thought the best solution was to export hydrogen, not LNG.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reinforced that message during a joint press conference with Scholz, saying “there has never been a strong business case” for LNG terminals on the East Coast.
Embassies understand LNG transforms First Nations economies
In an interview following her session, Ogen said Canada remains well placed to deliver LNG in a cost-efficient way to Asia and Europe, and was concerned by the tone shift from Natural Resources Canada and Trudeau.
“It just seems that they're shying away from LNG projects and, for me, it's pivotal for our First Nations because we're these various pipelines and these major projects,” Ogen said.
For Indigenous communities that long have fallen behind the rest of Canada in economic development, housing, and clean drinking water, Ogen said these partnerships affect “the real stuff that's happening on the ground” and are part of economic reconciliation.
"[It’s] the quality of life. I think that's the critical message from an Indigenous perspective... it's going to be benefitting our kids,” she said.
“We have to keep that messaging on energy strong and in the forefront and make sure that we're seeing it as part of the energy transition as well.”
One example Ogen gave was that the Miawpukek First Nation from Newfoundland are currently seeking meetings in Germany after experiencing roadblocks for their own LNG plans.Asked about what response they received from their embassy visits, Ogen said their message was heard.
“They heard our request for them to become allies with us to see the importance of LNG to our communities and what it means to, not just here in B.C., but across Canada,” she said.
The group ended up having a meal with Japan’s ambassador at his home. "He spent two to three hours with us. That was the highlight of the visit with the ambassadors,” said Ogen.
“He was welcoming. He just got it. He got where we're coming from, and he has a long-developed relationship with the Haisla. It was a very good visit with him.”