Canada is going to boost oil and gas exports by 300,000 barrels per day, as nations attempt to wean themselves off Russian energy supplies because of the Ukraine war.
Natural resources minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the move would amount to a 5% increase and would help Canada's allies combat "an energy security crisis" caused by the Ukrainian conflict.
Expediting planned projects to expand output could increase crude shipments by 200,000 barrels a day and natural gas shipments by 100,000 barrels a day by year's end, Wilkinson said at a media briefing in Paris.
Some of the extra oil can be shipped via the Gulf Coast to Europe, as Canada and the US already have the pipeline capacity to handle it, he added.
Wilkinson had joined his international counterparts at the International Energy Agency (IEA) meeting this week in Paris to work on securing global energy security and nailing the transition to a zero-emission economy.
Canada's European friends and allies are facing an energy crisis and need the country's help to determine a short-term alternative to Russian oil and gas as well as speed up the transition to a clean energy future, he added.
"Canada is uniquely positioned to help with both," he said in a statement.
it ranks fourth worldwide in terms of oil production after Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the US. The Ukraine crisis has encouraged pro-oil Canadian politicians to call for the expansion of fossil fuel projects.