The CEO of Teck Resources Ltd. defended his company's growth strategy on Tuesday as dissident shareholders criticized what they called "underperforming'' investments in coal and oilsands.

Teck Resources is leaving the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, an industry organization whose members represent about 80 per cent of Canada's oil and gas production.

Teck withdrew its application for the Frontier oilsands mine citing uncertainty.

The application withdrawal the Teck Frontier project means that existing producers with approved projects or those planning expansions have a decided advantage over new entrants, said oilsands analyst Phil Skolnick of Eight Capital.

The executive director of the United Conservative Party took to Twitter to criticize the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday night.

Long pipeline routes that cross provincial and Indigenous territorial boundaries are part of the reason that Canada is a more difficult place than the U.S. to build major energy projects, according to American analysts.

Teck Resources said Sunday it was withdrawing from the proposed $20.6-billion Frontier mine because of the broader conversation around climate change in Canada.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says it was a last-minute delay by Ottawa on whether to approve the Frontier oilsands mine that led Teck Resources to pull the plug on the project -- an accusation the federal government denies.

Teck Resources CEO had not committed to the oilsands project being built even if approved.

Shares in Teck Resources Ltd. are trading down four per cent after the company said it had withdrawn its application for a massive oilsands mining project citing uncertainty over climate policies.