TC Energy, a Calgary-based energy company with operations throughout North America, is a sponsor of the Republican National Convention Host Committee, according to the committee’s website.
The convention, currently taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will confirm Donald Trump as the Republican Party’s candidate for the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
TC Energy was the driving force behind the Keystone XL pipeline project, which was delayed by the Obama administration in 2015 and revived by the Trump administration in 2020.
The company cancelled the $9 billion, 1,200-mile project in June 2021 after the Biden administration issued an executive order blocking a key permit.
Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Government of Alberta, objected to the decision at the time.
The news comes after an American arbitration tribunal rejected the company’s claim to recover $15 billion from the U.S. government for its role in cancelling the project. As reported by Reuters, TC Energy said the claim was rejected because the tribunal felt it lacked authority to determine whether Biden’s revocation contravened obligations under NAFTA. The NAFTA agreement was terminated in July 2020 and replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Why TC Energy is supporting the RNC host committee is not clear. Efforts to contact TC Energy’s media relations department by DeSmog were not successful. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the RNC Host Committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, legally separate from the Republican Party that works “to ensure the convention runs smoothly.” The Journal Sentinel further reports that the host committee was charged with raising $70 million to support the convention, and exceeded this goal by $15 million. Though financial contributions haven’t been disclosed, the Journal Sentinel reported that RNC sponsorships typically range from $100,000 to $5 million.
It isn’t clear that TC Energy has any specific goal in sponsoring the committee — there are no statements on the company’s website related to its sponsorship of the event. There are several articles posted to the company’s website concerning their support of LGBTQ+ employees for pride month, as well as Indigenous and Asian employees for their respective heritage months. Trump and the Republican Party have a poor record with Indigenous communities and bear responsibility for fueling anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Human rights groups have condemned Trump’s numerous homophobic and transphobic comments and policy proposals.
Environmental advocates say the partnership could prove to be a disaster for climate progress. “TC Energy’s sponsorship of the Republican National Convention’s Host Committee is a tactic straight out of the oil and gas playbook,” said Julia Levin, an associate director on climate with Environmental Defence.
“We’ve recently seen how TC Energy seeks to influence climate progress in Canada. In fact, a TC staff lobbyist was recently caught bragging about the company’s ability to sway the position of the BC premier,” Levin said, referencing a recent investigation by the Narwhal.
“It’s no wonder that many of the discussions happening at the Republican National Convention are calling for more fossil fuel development — despite the urgency of the climate crisis,” she added. “TC Energy is willing to champion politicians who will help protect their profits, no matter the cost.”
TC Energy was one of several sponsors listed by the host committee, including General Motors, the Heritage Foundation, and the American Petroleum Institute.
Formerly known as TransCanada Corporation, TC Energy was originally created in 1951 to build a national pipeline delivering natural gas to eastern provinces. Though not a Crown corporation, the original TransCanada benefitted from considerable support from Canada’s mid-20th century federal governments and required Canadian parliamentary assent given the national scale of the project.
The majority of TC Energy’s share capital — over 83 percent — is owned by Canadian institutional investors, including Canada’s “big five” banks, which are estimated to own about 23 percent of the company in total. The Royal Bank of Canada is the largest single investor, owning about 9 percent. Several major Canadian pension plans also have ownership stakes in the company, including Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
