As Canada faces a new economic reality, phasing out oil and gas immediately shouldn't be the go-to solution.Canada has been a bold leader in its journey to reduce emissions. It led the creation of the Clean Fuel Regulations, has committed to building a national electric vehicle charging network and has demanded that our upstream fuel sector produce cleaner, more efficient fuels.While these are all steps in the right direction, the call from many global leaders to ban oil and gas production needs to be met with a lens of perspective and innovation.From the lens of perspective, we are quickly approaching the three-year anniversary of the arrival of COVID-19. The world has changed, and we continue to face significant economic and global challenges. Rising inflation and increased cost of living plague the pocketbooks of many Canadians, while the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia has brought the need for a domestic energy supply to the forefront of government attention.With global supply of oil and gas often precarious and dependent on fluctuating external factors, Canadian fuel, simply put, is essential to our domestic security and productivity. There is no threat that could seriously alter Canada's energy security in the coming decades. Our domestically produced energy supply can fuel our own local economies, and the profits do not aid abhorrent regimes like those in Russia, Venezuela and Iran.From the lens of innovation, we cannot overlook the potential of liquid fuel to be a vehicle for increased biofuel and renewable content. Enhancing the renewable and ethanol content of gasoline is a pathway to emission reduction that should not be overlooked as our nation looks to meet its targets.Despite a looming economic recession threatening to make renewables less affordable, we must remember that Canadian fuel is some of the most ethical fuel in the world, with increasingly cleaner, low-carbon options becoming available to consumers.The energy sector is achieving greater product efficiencies, lower emissions and stronger environmental outcomes. Through corporate social responsibility, these companies are also limiting the negative environmental impacts of operations and focusing on creating positive outcomes for natural environments.By understanding and acknowledging that Canadian fuels are an essential, reliable and ethical service, the federal government would further signal to Canadians that the path to emission reduction is not black and white. Achieving our targets will take innovative thinking while ensuring a one-size-fits-all approach isn't the go-to solution.There is no doubt much work has to be done. However, banning a pathway that many hard-working Canadians rely on today – one that can also contribute significantly to emission reduction through innovation in the near and long term – would indeed be short-sighted.Jennifer Stewart is president and CEO of the Canadian Energy Marketers Association (CEMA), a network of progressive leaders who are responsible for the distribution of fuel products across the country.