Toronto, ON — TC Energy CEO François Poirier has issued a bold call to action: Canada must pivot toward Asia to secure its economic future and reduce dependency on an increasingly volatile U.S. trade relationship.
In a keynote speech at the Canadian Club Toronto, Poirier emphasized that the upcoming April 28 federal election is a pivotal moment for Canada’s leadership—political, corporate, and Indigenous—to align and actively court Asian markets, especially with Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG).
“Canada is back in business,” Poirier told a national webcast audience. “But we need to prove it—to travel to Asia and show our sincerity, our conviction. We are a good risk to take.”
Despite being the world’s fifth-largest natural gas producer, Canada has yet to launch a single LNG export terminal. That will change in mid-2025 when LNG Canada, led by Shell and based in Kitimat, B.C., begins shipments to Asia with an initial capacity of 14 million tonnes annually. A major milestone occurred on April 2, when the Maran Gas Roxana docked to help test equipment ahead of the terminal’s launch.
Poirier lamented Canada’s slow progress: “A decade ago, we had the chance to lead. Now, we’re catching up.”
Three key B.C. LNG projects are in the pipeline:
LNG Canada – mid-2025
Woodfibre LNG – late 2027
Cedar LNG – late 2028
Meanwhile, the U.S. has leapt ahead, opening its first LNG export terminal in 2016 and seven more since. Global leaders in the LNG race include the U.S., Qatar, and Australia.
TC Energy is already deeply embedded in Canada’s LNG future. Its Coastal GasLink pipeline began supplying LNG Canada in September 2024 and will eventually serve Cedar LNG, a project co-owned by the Haisla Nation (50.1%) and Pembina Pipeline Corp. (49.9%).
Despite agreements with 20 elected band councils, the project has faced fierce resistance from some Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, who oppose Coastal GasLink’s route through 190 km of unceded territory. Activist Chief Na’Moks (John Ridsdale) has also criticized banks like RBC for financing fossil fuel infrastructure, calling it “reckless.”
As environmental groups and Indigenous leaders raise alarm about Canada’s climate commitments, the LNG sector faces mounting scrutiny. Ecojustice Canada accused the B.C. government of allowing energy companies to sidestep net-zero goals, despite official targets of net-zero emissions for LNG facilities by 2030.
The province insists companies must secure access to clean electricity, yet large infrastructure projects like the proposed North Coast Transmission Line could take a decade to complete.
Still, some projects are aiming for sustainability. The Ksi Lisims LNG project—led by the Nisga’a Nation—plans to use floating platforms powered by hydroelectricity from BC Hydro, aiming to deliver net-zero LNG if grid capacity allows.
“We remain committed to being net-zero as soon as the transmission grid can support our electricity needs,” said Ksi Lisims spokesperson Rebecca Scott.
Poirier urged Canada to make a choice: maintain the status quo or embrace a bold vision of becoming Asia’s top LNG supplier. “The world is giving us a chance. The question is: will we take it?”