EXCLUSIVE: German Chancellor says no progress on getting Canadian LNG to Germany
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Berlin remains open to buying Canadian liquefied natural gas, calling it “highly welcome” as Germany works to permanently replace Russian energy.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Berlin remains open to buying Canadian liquefied natural gas, calling it “highly welcome” as Germany works to permanently replace Russian energy. However, he admitted it’s unclear what cooperation with Ottawa would look like.
Speaking to True North at a press conference at COP30 in Belem on Friday, Merz said energy discussions with Carney’s government are “ongoing” but unfulfilled. When asked if German interest in Canadian LNG has advanced since Carney took office, Merz suggested Ottawa has yet to make any concrete moves.
“This is not yet decided,” Merz said when pressed on if Canadian LNG was coming to German markets. “Energy in general is an issue, but how far we can go in terms of, for example, LNG is not yet clear, but we are open to that.”
“You know that we are building up the infrastructure for that,” he added. “If we can find new partners on that, we will do that.”
Merz made the comments in reply to a question about Germany’s growing defence ties with Canada. He said he and Carney have developed a “very close” working relationship, dating back to their first meeting at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.
Since then, the two leaders have met regularly, including during Carney’s official visit to Berlin, and plan to meet again at the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa.
“We are willing to deepen our cooperation economically, in defence, [and] in climate,” Merz said. “We are seeing enormous potential for closer cooperation, and Canada is interested in doing that more than ever.”
Despite describing Carney as a “very close” ally, Merz’s lukewarm remarks underscore the lack of progress on Canada–Germany energy cooperation, two years after Berlin first pleaded for Canadian LNG to replace Russian gas.
Germany’s federal government has already invested in LNG terminals on its northern coast to facilitate imports, and Merz emphasized that infrastructure expansion is underway.
While Merz did not make specific commitments regarding Canadian LNG, his comments signal Berlin’s hope that Ottawa can become a partner for energy security, though this has yet to materialize.
Carney’s government has indicated a desire to pivot more closely to European allies on both defence and economic policy as relations with the United States remain strained. The German chancellor said both governments are working on a “very, very close timetable to come closer together,” and described the broader Canada-Germany relationship as a long-standing political and economic partnership that is only expected to deepen in the months ahead.
To Clo and Carl, and all other Westerners from a born and raised Easterner - Ottawan in fact.
I agree with you 100% and please be aware that many - if not most - Canadian Easterners feel the same and support your struggle unreservedly. We are being victimised by this Liberal/WEF/NDP coalition as much as the West. When Alberta fails, or is prevented from living up to its economic potential, the rest of Canada fails as well.
It's not simply Eastern votes keeping these morons in power, it's the ongoing support from the political "intelligentia" in Quebec, and the automatic vote from the millions of new immigrants, mainly clustered - thereby easier to control - in the large cities. Doug Ford's crossing floor to join the Liberals may have been the deciding factor in the last election.
And not to be taken lightly, the Liberal's ownership of the CBC, whose job it is to keep the sheep calmed down with a constant stream of pap and pablum and their "Nothing to see here folks" dictates in response to the endless Liberal crimes and scandals.
And if all that's not enough, our electoral process is more than suspect. For a full understanding of that, just analyse the Liberal Leadership farce - sorry, I meant "race".
The Freedom Convoy, organised by Westerners, provided me and most other Ottawans with a long awaited and much needed moment of national pride. I spent 3 joyous days soaking up the incredible atmosphere on Wellington St, with the bouncy castles, hamburgers for the homeless, and the feeling of true national unity absent for so long. Absent in Canada actually since the appearance of Trudeau the Elder. I was 78 years old during the Convoy, it was -25 celsius, and I felt neither of those statistics. The Convoy also blessed us with the national acceptance of the "F*** Trudeau flags.
That Convoy showed me what true Canadian spirit, courage, and commitment is and that it still exists. And the rest of the world took notice, as well. We need that now, more than ever.
It's not the people or imaginary lines on a map that divides us. It's the politicians, and divided, we fall.
Good to know that Carney is doing nothing. Way to go eastern Canada. What a stellar choice for a leader!