Senior federal officials promoted a proposed liquefied natural gas facility in Quebec as having the potential to
export large volumes of natural gas to Europe.
The comments from public servants appear in a federal briefing document, obtained by The Canadian Press.
Marinvest Energy Canada, a subsidiary of a Norwegian energy company, has proposed the project.
The company has lobbied high-level government officials in a series of meetings this year. The federal government has said little about the project, which is still in its very early stages. It would include a new natural gas pipeline and LNG export facility near Baie-Comeau, Que.
But the internal documents show public servants were keen to hear the company’s views on the federal regulatory process in a meeting last spring.
That meeting came as the Liberal government was preparing to table legislation to fast-track major projects.
A briefing note says the project could position Canada to export “substantial volumes” of natural gas to Europe.
Marinvest describes its meetings with government officials as preliminary, and says it hasn’t yet submitted a project for review.