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Industry insiders mirrored that assessment, and in an email to BNN Bloomberg, Birchcliff Energy CEO Jeff Tonken claimed Ottawa was oblivious to the requirements of both the oil and gas sector and the whole economy.
“The new tax goes directly against what is currently federal policy. On the one hand the liberal government is trying to stop the use of fossil fuels and is doing everything it can to stop its use … and on the other hand comes out and says, don’t buy your stock back invest in your business,” Tonken said.
When discussing how Ottawa has handled energy policy in a globe shook by the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Enerplus CEO Ian Dundas was more direct.
In the past, Dundas has been a vocal critic of federal policies and has almost completely sold off the Canadian assets of his business.
