Venezuela fallout: 'We have to stop being such boy scouts in Canada'

The geopolitical rules were rewritten this week as the U.S. moves beyond simply buying oil. It effectively took over the world's largest oil reserves in Venezuela — the same kind of heavy oil produced by Alberta. It's a threat that can't be dismissed. This week, West of Centre host Kathleen Petty is joined by Gitane De Silva, former CEO of the Canada Energy Regulator and Alberta's former senior representative to the United States; Martha Hall Findlay, who was Suncor Energy's first chief climate officer; and Sonya Savage, former Alberta energy minister. With 10 per cent of Alberta's crude at risk of being displaced in the U.S. Gulf Coast and a big hit to the provincial budget at stake, the panel says Canada can no longer afford to be the 'boy scouts' of the global energy market. The panel explains why Canada isn't building refineries instead of pipelines. And they drill down on how this complicates the pursuit of a private proponent for a new bitumen pipeline to B.C.'s northwest coast. They argue while the Smith-Carney MOU is a start, it is no longer sufficient to de-risk the massive commercial uncertainty created by the 'might-makes-right' White House. Host: Kathleen Petty Guests: Gitane De Silva, Martha Hall Findlay, Sonya Savage Producer and editor: Diane Yanko

You can listen to Venezuela fallout: 'We have to stop being such boy scouts in Canada' online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Venezuela fallout: 'We have to stop being such boy scouts in Canada' is an episode from West of Centre by CBC.

This episode is 00:47:44 long.

This episode was published on Jan 9, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from West of Centre when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.