Canada the answer to U.S. energy worries, Prentice says

The federal government intends to impress on U.S. President Barack Obama that Canada can play an even larger role in resolving U.S. concerns over the security of its energy supplies.

Speaking in Toronto just hours before Obama's inauguration, Environment Minister Jim Prentice noted the president plans to visit Canada in the near future.

"To say the least, there is lots to discuss and then later to do," he said. "And hopefully, one of the many points of agreement for action will be commencing a co-operative, bilateral approach to the environment and energy, in ways that spur on economic recovery and renewal."

Prentice said supplying oil to the U.S. could be part of bilateral plans that would also seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create cleaner fuel. The plans could include a common cap-and-trade carbon market system and tougher fuel standards.

He said the two countries also need to discuss concrete action plans to reduce not only greenhouse gas emission levels, but North American dependence on foreign oil.

U.S. oil production currently covers just 40 per cent of American consumption and that figure will likely drop to 20 per cent by 2020, Prentice said.

'Unfriendly voices' criticize oilsands: analyst

"Were the key supplier of energy to the United States. Theyre not going to do anything to shoot themselves in the foot at least right away," Fen Hampson, the director of the Norman Paterson School for International Affairs at Carleton University told CBC news.

"There certainly are some unfriendly voices in the Congress when it comes to the oilsands, some who would like to see a ban on oilsands imports. One of our challenges is to assure we and the Americans are on the same page when they start moving on the direction of a new climate change policy," he said.

Prentice's comments came a day after Canada's ambassador to the U.S., Michael Wilson, said one of the federal government's biggest challenges with the Obama administration is Canada's reputation as a purveyor of dirty oil.

Prentice, however, defended Alberta's oilsands production as "a reality" that is not going away, and said the U.S. will find that oil from that source is important to its future.

Hampson agrees and believes a North American-wide energy policy can be negotiated with the new administration.

"We can work with the Americans in the developments of new renewables, increase our hydroelectric exports to the United States, and even when it comes to oil," he said. "The fact is the US economy is going to use oil for many years to come, and Canada is a much more stable and secure supply of oil than the Middle East."