MNI BRIEF: US Oil Thirst Gives Canada 'Cards'- Energy Minister

Canada has "cards" to play against President Donald Trump's threats of economic domination because America has just seven years of reserves on hand and its biggest source of imports comes from north of the border, Energy Minister and former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Hodgson told lawmakers Monday.

While becoming beholden to the threats Trump made against Ukraine's president that he had no cards to play against American demands is a nightmare scenario for Canada, Hodgson said moving to ship Canadian crude overseas instead of the United States can ease that tension. 

"The United States consumes 20 million barrels of oil a day. They claim they are an energy superpower, they produce 12 (million barrels a day),” Hodgson said. “We produce 5 million barrels a day and send them four. We are the largest supplier to the United States. That gives us cards.” 

He also said in response to an opposition question about lifting a west coast oil tanker ban that if an investor wins local support for a pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia the government “will work with them to clear whatever barriers there are.” (See: MNI INTERVIEW: Alberta Says BC Pipeline Must Be Fast-Tracked)