GATINEAU, Que. – The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association doesn’t fear a coalition government despite its strong ties to the party in power.
“If in fact we do get a coalition government, we’re going to continue to expect that the programs and policies in place will remain,” said Gordon Quaiattini, president of the CRFA.
But if the Conservatives are ousted, the association will lose some powerful friends in government.
Kory Teneycke, director of communications for the prime minister’s office, is former executive director of the CRFA. Another tie to the Conservatives is through Robin Speer, the CRFA’s vice-president of public affairs, who was a former staffer to agriculture minister Gerry Ritz.
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Ritz told delegates attending the fifth annual Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit there is reason to be nervous about a Liberal-NDP coalition supported by the Bloc Québécois.
“The opposition parties have clawed through their biofuel policies and they started splitting and flip-flopping on their biofuel commitments,” he said.
Ritz was referring to Bloc Québécois and NDP votes against Bill C-33, legislation designed to implement a national renewable fuel standard.
“I’m proud to say that our government and our prime minister continue to remain firm in our support of biofuels,” he said to applause.
Quaiattini isn’t overly concerned about the stance taken by the Bloc and the NDP this spring.
Both parties knew that with the support of the Conservatives and the Liberals there were enough votes to pass the bill, so they took the opportunity to do some political grandstanding about the food versus fuel debate, he said.
When push comes to shove, Quaiattini believes the Bloc and the NDP will back the existing mandates and subsidies for the biofuel sector.
