TransCanada has not claimed that the “thousands of jobs” that will be created are expected to be permanent jobs. As many of these jobs will be construction-related, the idea of permanent jobs is absent from that industry. To suggest that these jobs would not have any economic impact is denigrating to the construction and trades professionals who create infrastructure throughout this country – from roads to hospitals to pipelines.

Canadian oil imports help solidify North American energy security by displacing oil from unstable, often hostile regimes. On a daily basis, the United States imports more than 1 million barrels of oil from Venezuela and Iraq alone. By approving the Keystone XL pipeline, the U.S. government would signal that it chooses to do business with a friendly, peaceful and stable nation rather than nations that don’t share the same goals as the United States.

While our head office is located in Canada, we have more than 600 employees working in Houston and thousands more working across the United States. We see this project as a statement of cooperation between Canada and the United States – but more than that, we see it as a path to prosperity for Americans looking to get to work. This project will add billions of dollars to the U.S. economy, generate billions in wages to American laborers and provide tax dollars to help grow and improve communities along the path.

Matthew John, TransCanada

Calgary, Alberta