The US has made a move to set up a strategic defense base in Australia to strengthen its Pacific presence.
While Canada is not in the game of projecting military power to the Pacific, we are in a position to be a key supplier of reliable energy to our allies in the region. It should be both a national economic and national security priority to expand our ability to supply energy to our trading partners in those regions.
A good starting point will be to expedite the approval of new oil and gas pipeline systems to salt water ports on the west coast. As part of this process, the federal government should accept the responsibility to compensate affected parties for their land claims and enable the private sector to secure clear title to land rights today.