Christie is sounding presidential again

On Thursday, Gov. Chris Christie was again sounding like a presidential candidate as he spoke during a trade mission to Canada.

Chris Christie (Tim Larson, Governor's Office)

Christie was on hand to deliver the keynote address at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce's Energy Sector Luncheon. This was the governor's second foreign trip in recent months, which has given him the chance to build a foreign policy platform and demonstrate his policy chops as he considers a run for president in 2016.

During his address, Christie did not mention President Barack Obama by name, but offered criticism of the administration over an initial decision to reject a key oil pipeline known as the Keystone XL pipeline project.

“The State Department’s own environmental impact study concluded that they (pipelines) are safe, and Keystone would be safe And let me quote directly from that same study, issued earlier this year: ‘A total of 42,100 jobs throughout the United States would be supported by construction of the proposed project,’” Christie said.

The governor conceded the project would create many temporary jobs including those in construction and support, but he said we need more jobs and this is an opportunity to create them, but it’s being missed.

Christie's comments were carefully crafted to not just contrast his views against an unpopular president, but to boost his conservative credentials.

Kevin McArdle and The Associated Press contributed to this story.