Western Canada needs to find new customers for its natural gas or risk being shut out of the United States and even Quebec as big new shale gas deposits come on production.
"To hang on to market share and remain competitive, Canadian companies will need to look farther afield for new customers," says Lance Mortlock, a senior manager in Ernst & Young's Canadian oil and gas practice. "While we expect lower demand from the U.S., Canada is seeing interest from companies that hold a long-term view of the unconventional natural gas sector, including international oil companies, national oil companies and independents -- many of them from Asia."
Canada is currently the largest exporter of natural gas to the U.S., supplying 14% of American demand accounting for 87% of its gas imports.
