Vancouver, B.C. May 27, 2026
Hello, everyone; bonjour, tout le monde.
Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that the City of Vancouver is situated on the shared, unceded and ancestral traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
Minister Dix [Adrian Dix, B.C. Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions]; President and Chief Clayton [Eva Clayton, Nisga'a Nation]; Dirk Jakobi, Deputy Consul General of Germany to Vancouver; and leaders from industry and Indigenous communities - thank you for being here today to mark this exciting and important milestone for Canada's energy future.
It has been over a year now since I became Minister of Natural Resources. At that time, I started saying Canada has what the world wants. That is because we have not only abundant energy and extraordinary natural resources but also one of the most skilled workforces and educated populations in the world.
We have a reliable democracy, impressive Indigenous leadership and access to three oceans on which we can ship our goods to the world.
And increasingly, Canada has something even more valuable than all those things: trust.
In a moment that feels uncertain and volatile, the world trusts Canada.
You don't have to take it from me. A few weeks ago, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, visited Canada and said the very same thing.
This trust, as Dr. Birol said, gives Canada a "golden opportunity." He said, I quote, "When I look at the world, the energy-hungry world, it needs Canada more than ever."
The world is indeed energy-hungry.
As the Prime Minister said when he was here in Vancouver just last week, we are not in normal times. We are in an energy crisis of epic proportions, across three dimensions: energy availability, energy security and energy transition.
First, many of our allies around the world are facing an urgent challenge with energy availability. While we are fortunate to not be facing anything close to a shortage in Canada, energy markets are global, and this availability challenge shows up in Canada as an affordability challenge. That is why, last month, we cancelled the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline and diesel - because Canadians shouldn't have to pay for a war they didn't cause.
The second dimension of this energy crisis that the Prime Minister identified is energy security. This dimension is only getting more apparent as the world becomes more dangerous and divided. Global energy markets are highly integrated, and it is getting clearer and clearer that integration is a vulnerability at home and abroad. However, this is a vulnerability Canada can help solve with responsible development and the new export of our energy resources.
The third dimension of this energy crisis is the need to address climate change through a successful energy transition: one that has the potential to create jobs; enhance Canada's leadership in areas like nuclear, CCUS and renewables; and make energy more secure and affordable - all while growing our economy on the way to net zero.
Anyone who tells you the dimensions of this energy crisis are not daunting is not telling the truth. As we tackle this challenge, the policies we make, the projects we build and the direction we set today will determine our trajectory for years to come.
But with crisis comes opportunity. Which brings me back to the urgent need for Canada to not just talk about our resource wealth but to use our energy and natural resources to put the proverbial best cards in our hand and to build Canada Strong for All.
We must translate advantage into action. We must build projects that strengthen economic and supply chain security and energy sovereignty; expand exports beyond a single market; create good careers for Canadians; advance Indigenous reconciliation; and generate revenue to pay for the things we care about as Canadians - things like healthcare, childcare, public safety and infrastructure.
As Minister of Energy, that is how I measure success: projects greenlit, partnerships with Indigenous Peoples struck, exports sold to new markets, and jobs and prosperity generated for Canadians.
To that end, I am extremely pleased to announce that the leading German energy utility, Securing Energy for Europe, or SEFE, has signed a new agreement to secure liquefied natural gas offtake from Ksi Lisims LNG. This marks a major milestone for this project as it advances toward its final investment decision, construction and production.
Through this agreement, SEFE will purchase 1 million tonnes per annum of LNG for up to 20 years, beginning in the early 2030s.
Less than one year after we shipped our first cargo of LNG to global markets in Canadian history, this represents the first agreement that will see long-term, low-carbon LNG from Canada be shipped to our allies in Europe - a clear example of how we can not only support global energy security, reduce reliance on coercive actors like Russia and advance Indigenous leadership and equity, but also how we can deliver on our promise to Canadians to diversify and expand our trade.
In fact, this agreement stems from a trade mission our Cabinet took to Germany in August 2025, led by the Prime Minister. That mission focused on strengthening Canada-German co-operation on transatlantic energy security.
On that trip, we also committed to exploring further collaboration on energy, including Canada's interest in supplying Germany with liquefied natural gas.
We were honoured to have President Clayton and representatives from Ksi Lisims with us in Berlin, where they first made contact with SEFE and began discussions that became the agreement Canada and Germany are celebrating today.
And since that trade mission, our government has been advancing this project with British Columbia.
Less than three weeks after that mission to Berlin, the Ksi Lisims project was approved under Canada and B.C.'s "One Project, One Review" agreement - proving just the point of such agreements when it was greenlit by B.C. at 4 p.m. and by the federal government at 4:30 p.m. the same day.
And then, two months later, we took the next step by referring Ksi Lisims LNG to the Major Projects Office, along with the 800-kilometre Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project to supply feed gas for liquefaction and a 95-kilometre electrical transmission line to supply zero-carbon clean electricity to the facility, for the project.
This referral was made for several reasons, all of which add up to this project's significant nation-building potential.
First, Ksi Lisims brings together the Nisg̱a'a Nation, Western LNG and Rockies LNG in a partnership that places Indigenous ownership and leadership at the centre of development. I have been enormously privileged to get to know President Clayton in her capacity leading this project over the last year, and I can say from experience that her approach strengthens not only the Nisga'a Nation but also this province and this country as a whole.
It serves as an example of how governments and Indigenous partners can and should work together - as equals, guided by Indigenous knowledge and leadership - to build big things in a responsible way.
Second, we referred Ksi Lisims to the MPO for its transformative economic potential. Once built, it will become Canada's second-largest LNG facility - attracting nearly $30 billion in investment and creating thousands of skilled careers for Canadians. By fundamentally changing Canada's role as a global LNG supplier, Ksi Lisims will generate significant economic activity in British Columbia and beyond and contribute more than $15 billion in GDP to the Canadian economy over 30 years.
Third, Ksi Lisims presents an extraordinary example of responsible, sustainable, low-carbon resource development. It has been designed to be connected to British Columbia's world-leading clean electricity grid, meaning it has the potential to be a net-zero emissions facility.
By using clean hydropower for the liquefaction process, the facility is also expected to operate at an emissions intensity approximately 94 percent below the current global average once fully electrified - let me repeat that: 94 percent below the global average.
That it is important not only for Canada's mission to fight climate change but also for our global push to reduce emissions.
Because when low-carbon intensity Canadian LNG displaces higher-emitting energy sources abroad like coal, we avoid global emissions while helping our allies strengthen energy security amidst the energy crisis I mentioned at the start of this speech.
This is particularly important for partners in Europe, including Germany, who continue to diversify their energy supplies and seek stable democratic partners, following the world's last big energy rupture when Russia illegally invaded Ukraine and began to use natural gas supplies to our European allies as a weapon of that war.
In sum, our government looks at this project and sees Indigenous leadership, economic growth and investment, low-carbon development and the opportunity for Canada to help with international energy security.
At the same time - and because all of those factors make projects like this so important - building at this scale requires co-ordination and a clear path forward. Your federal government is committed to that path forward and making sure Canada can move major projects forward both quickly and responsibly, working hand-in-hand with provinces, Indigenous partners and industry.
That is exactly what the MPO is doing and why I am confident that Ksi Lisims LNG will reach Financial Investment Decision by the end of the year, begin construction shortly thereafter and start exporting to our friends in Germany and beyond by the end of this decade.
Before I conclude, I want to note that while I am pleased to celebrate Ksi Lisims and SEFE today, what we are seeing in British Columbia is also bigger than just one project or one deal.
This province is at the forefront of Canada becoming a clean and conventional energy superpower. It is also becoming a global example of a new model for energy development - one that centres Indigenous partnership, cleaner growth, private investment and reliable access to international markets.
That is why over a third of the projects and strategies referred to the MPO are in B.C.
Across British Columbia, a new generation of energy projects is taking shape - projects that unlock our energy and natural resources while standing by the values Canadians expect: innovation, sustainability and partnership.
Following LNG Canada Phase 1 beginning exports last June, momentum has continued to build, including today's announcement and the enhanced investment co-operation between Canada and B.C. and the new private sector investment in LNG Canada Phase 2 that I announced with Premier Eby two weeks ago.
We also have two additional projects under construction: Woodfibre LNG, set to come online as early as 2027, and Cedar LNG, expected to begin operations in 2028.
Notably, Woodfibre LNG is breaking new ground as the first industrial project in Canada to recognize a non‑treaty Indigenous government - the Squamish Nation - as a full environmental regulator, setting a powerful precedent for what environmental stewardship and industrial growth can look like.
Moreover, Cedar LNG, led by the Haisla Nation, will be the world's first Indigenous majority-owned LNG export facility powered by clean electricity.
It is clear: Canada is open for business.
We want to export to countries that share our values, not just our border.
We want to build a cleaner, more prosperous and secure future, for ourselves and for our allies.
And we want to be a reliable partner in a changing world.
At the end of last month, Shell CEO Wael Sawan said his confidence in Canada as a place to build and invest has grown significantly over the last year.
That is exactly what this agreement represents.
Not only confidence in one project - but confidence in Canada.
Confidence in our new approach and the fact that Team Canada is truly moving faster and building bigger while protecting our environment and advancing Indigenous leadership and equity.
We are not just going on trade missions - we are coming back with deals.
We are not just talking about the "golden opportunity" Dr. Birol mentioned - we are seizing it.
And we are not just ready to build - we are building.
Thank you very much. Merci beaucoup.
