Nathalie St-Pierre
Dear CPA members,
Anecdotes aren't data…
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the Canadian Propane Association, I am ever mindful of our mandate to bring member value through advocating on your behalf. Whether it’s for improved government policies, fair regulatory treatment, adequate training or emergency response, our raison d’être is to be member focused.
With the Canadian National Railway (CN) strike behind us, I believe we move into 2020 in a stronger position to do just that. The CN work stoppage revealed to governments at all levels the critical importance of propane in Canada’s energy portfolio for home, businesses and industries, the agriculture and transportation sectors and many other users.
Why propane? Certainly, a lot more people now understand…It is about the critical role you play in the daily functioning of Canadians.
In fact, despite the challenges experienced by the industry, the CN strike may prove to be a catalyst in increasing the appetite of policy makers and government staff across the country to close the gaps in their understanding of the supply, transport, storage capacity, uses and overall role of propane in the Canadian energy mix. This will undoubtedly help to expand the footprint of our industry.
To successfully advance the growth of our industry, we need the tools to provide more research so that governments are better informed. As the CN strike showed, governments are looking for more than just anecdotes. Through the efforts of our members, we were able to provide the information that governments needed to make assessments during the strike.
Going forward, it’s clear that our industry will have to provide, more than ever, provide robust and real-time data to ensure that any information vacuum is minimized. This is important and critical when advocating for smart policy decisions or addressing needless regulations that result in unnecessary costs to members or when governments need data.
This renewed interest in propane has given myself and the CPA team, the opportunity to assess ways to fund more research, perhaps through the development of a PERC-type model and to sharpen our strategies going forward to make sure that when asked, Why Propane? People know propane is a vital, clean and affordable Canadian energy solution.
As we advance on 2020, I know that together we can leverage these opportunities.
I wish us all a successful 2020 and look forward to seeing many of you at the CPA’s Leadership Summit in Edmonton on May 5-7.
Nathalie St-Pierre
President & CEO