Rona Ambrose uses Regina, Sask. visit to promote pipelines

After taking a tour of a steel-producing facility in Regina, Sask., on Tuesday, Rona Ambrose had a clear message for the federal government.

"When I talk about Mr. Trudeau and uncertainty around pipelines, this is really where it hits home," the interim leader of the Conservative Party said.

Ambrose, along with MP and Opposition House Leader Andrew Scheer, took a tour of Regina's Evraz facility, which builds steel for pipelines. It is also the largest private sector employer in the Queen City.

"The people that work here make money off of building steel for pipelines, but this is what they need to do to feed their families," she said. "These are really good, high-paying jobs in this region and the uncertainty around pipeline approvals that Mr. Trudeau has thrown into the mix is a real concern."

Prime Minister Trudeau also stopped in Saskatchewan on Tuesday, just east of Regina in Fort Qu'Appelle. Ambrose said the timing of their visits is a coincidence, but she didn't waste the opportunity to repeatedly ask Trudeau to consider the impact on jobs in the energy sector, particularly in Saskatchewan.

"My message to Mr. Trudeau is give people that work in a place like this the certainty they need to know that their jobs will still exist," Ambrose said.

"You can invest billions of dollars into these energy infrastructure projects like pipelines, go through the whole process, and at the end you have to go through a political process, and that has created a lot of uncertainty. We've seen investments flee from this province and from Alberta."

Ambrose said she saw first-hand the measures taken at Evraz to ensure pipeline safety, also noting the facility is already investing in pipelines projects like Energy East.

"This is the safest way to move oil and gas to market, and these guys are worrying about the uncertainty. This is hanging over their heads, and hanging over their employees heads," Ambrose said.