The MP for Windsor-West is sounding the alarm over the possible closure of an integral fuel pipeline.
The Line 5 dispute is now before a U.S. federal court pitting the State of Michigan against Enbridge, but Brian Masse says a shutdown would have a major impact on the Canadian side of the border.
Masse says thousands of Canadian jobs are at risk while fuel shortages would result in skyrocketing prices for consumers.
He says he'd like to see more action from the Liberal government.
"The first is to create an oil and gas Ombudsperson so that there's a public way to actually make complaints on the issue of price gouging or speculation or lack of competition," he says. "The second component is to create a petroleum monitoring agency which actually would be some of the heavy lifting when we do find areas that are questionable."
Masse says Canada/Michigan relations need to be improved.
"It really was an our way or the highway type of approach and that's never good," says Masse. "So we need to actually have a more balanced approach and then also put forth the case for Line 5 and for the continuance of it. It's just a failed approach that's been taken by this government and I think that that's really where it all started."
He says the Liberals should have had a conversation with the State before the issue landed in court.
"The best way to sit down with someone that has a concern or a disagreement or a different position is not to fight them, it's to actually try to understand where they're coming from and to value at least their concerns about a particular issue than just giving it lip service and then not doing anything," he says.
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer had set a May 12 deadline to shut Line 5 down, but Enbridge has continued operation while the matter is before the courts.
Enbridge had proposed to build a $500-million tunnel to resolve concerns over the risk of spills in the Great Lakes, but that proposal was ignored by the Whitmer administration.
— with files from AM800's Rob Hindi.