Natural Resource Minister Joe Oliver. (Craig Robertson/ QMI Agency Files)

OTTAWA - Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver predicts this year will be critical for Canada's energy industry.

"I think this year will be a pivotal year in terms of the decisions with respect to the building of the infrastructure of pipelines," Oliver told QMI Agency.

A key decision this year will be whether U.S. Secretary of Sate John Kerry will approve the full Keystone XL pipeline to connect the oilsands in Alberta to Texas refineries.