Senate committee holding hearings on Energy East in Saint John

More Energy East pipeline public hearings are scheduled in Saint John, but these won't be run by the National Energy Board. Instead it will be run by a Senate committee.

The Transport and Communications Committee will hear from stakeholders in Saint John throughout Wednesday.

• Saint John's mayor hopes Energy East pipeline hearings resume soon
• NEB cancels full week of Montreal's Energy East hearings after protest
• NEB panel members step down after flurry of criticism

"Our job is quite simple. It's to develop a strategy to facilitatetransportation of crude oil to eastern Canadian refineries and to ports in the east and west coast of Canada," said Nova Scotia senator Terry Mercer.

"In other words, look at the pipeline situation to see if it's a good idea and if there's a way to help them get this done."

Mercer is on the committee. He was in Montreal earlier in the week hearing from concerned Canadians in that region. He's in Atlantic Canada, ready to hear from the Maritimes.

Information Morning - Fredericton11:48Senator Terry Mercer - Senate Committee Hearings

A Senate committee is in Saint John to hold public hearings on the Energy East pipeline. Terry Seguin talks to a committee member.Mercer said their hearings are complementary to the hearings of the National Energy Board, which have stalled. He said it's also important in case any decision is bumped up above the NEB to cabinet.

Happening too late

Mercer said his frustration about this project is it's happening to late. He said this should have been happening years beforehand.

"These negotiations should've been going on for years," said Mercer.

He said oil companies should have been talking to people about their plans already, instead of waiting until now. Mercer said they're reaching a crisis level because of the price of oil.

"We need to solve this thing very quickly. We should have been doing this for years. It's their fault. They didn't anticipatethis. They didn't start these negotiations. But we still need to get it done," said Mercer.

Finding support

Mercer said their hearings in Montreal found groups such as the Quebec Employers Council, large equipment operators in Quebec, the Quebec Federation of Chamber of Commerceand the Montreal Chamber of Commerce were in support of the project.

"The main thing that we have found going across the country is widespread support for the concept," said Mercer, but he confessednot everyone wants to see it happen.

"Yes there are people who are opposed. I don't want to deny that."