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By Gwyn Morgan

President Donald Trump has said Canada’s energy exports are unfair to the U.S. He is clearly oblivious that we’ve given Americans the biggest trade gift ever to flow from one country to another because of our own, self-inflicted inability to access offshore markets with Canadian oil.

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After almost a decade and more than $1 billion spent on planning and regulatory filings, five major oil-export pipelines remain unbuilt, leaving us with no choice but to sell our oil to U.S. buyers at below world prices. Depending on the world price and other factors, the resulting captive-market discount has been as much as US$10 per barrel on the 3.8-million barrels per day exported to the U.S. That amounts to a US$38-million daily gift to Americans, who then export their own oil at the full international market price.

But how can one criticize Trump for his lack of awareness of this expensive giveaway when our federal government, along with the governments of every province except Alberta and Saskatchewan, have no comprehension of these facts?