Jim Carr

[Natural Resources, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the member covered a lot of ground in 35 seconds.

We could talk about the number of dollars the Conservative Party gave to the very same group they are criticizing us for having funded, or we could talk about freedom of speech. Maybe their preference is that we should make sure that we only fund those groups that agree with every single one of our policies. That is not the way we operate.

It is also true, and the member should know, that 50,000 new jobs have been created in Alberta. Alberta continues to lead in GDP growth. We are proud—

[Natural Resources, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I guess the member opposite was not listening. He was not listening to what the Prime Minister has said and what we say every day. He is not listening to the number of pipeline approvals and why. He is not listening to the importance the natural resource sector continues to play in the Canadian economy.

It does not matter if the Conservatives are not listening. We will continue to repeat that message every day.

[Natural Resources, April 30th, 2018]

How about pretty well every day, Mr. Speaker.

It is remarkable what the members opposite do not want to hear. They do not want to listen to what we say when we talk about the oceans protection plan. They do not want to listen to us when we talk about working with indigenous communities. They do not want to listen to us when we talk about the pipelines we have approved, so it is very selective hearing and revisionist history.

[Natural Resources, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was in Fort McMurray, and so was the Minister of Infrastructure, and we listened to workers at Fort McMurray. They actually came from every nook and cranny of the country working in the oil sands. They understand better than everybody else how important the energy sector is for families in virtually every region of the country.

The member knows that we approved the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline for all the reasons she would agree with: jobs, expansion of export markets, and investor certainty.

[Natural Resources, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, these consultations were meaningful, and so were the accommodations that are most important to many indigenous peoples. We understand that the relationship with the air, the water, and the land is fundamental and sacred to indigenous people, a lesson that all of us in Canada are learning day by day. The member should know that these conversations were impactful and meaningful, and so was the accommodation.

[Natural Resources, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the government consulted with 118 potentially affected indigenous groups. The outcome of these consultations is publicly available.

More than $300 million has been committed to indigenous groups by the proponent under mutual benefit agreements, and $64.7 million for indigenous advisory and environmental monitoring committees, co-developed with first nations for the first time in Canadian history, not to mention that there is a $1.5 billion oceans protection plan.

[Natural Resources, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am not denying the facts. The fact is that our government released extensive materials explaining the basis for its decision-making. By the way, it is all available at www.enercan.ca: the ministerial panel report, the summary of Enercan's online consultations, the crown consultations and accommodation report, Environment and Climate Change Canada's estimate of GHG emissions, summary of NEB recommendations, and the Order in Council approval.

[Natural Resources, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, yes. We undertook the most exhaustive consultation on pipelines in Canadian history.

What we actually did was add additional layers of consultation, principally with indigenous communities. The reason we did that was because the Federal Court of Appeal, on the northern gateway case, said that the Harper government failed to consult. The Harper government.

We had a choice: repeat its mistakes or do better. We did better.

[Taxation, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition has absolutely no plan. That party had no plan for 10 years because it had absolutely no idea what it means to grow the economy while being respectful of the environment. That party did not respect the environment and it did not grow the economy.

On the question of energy, just last week the CEO of Cenovus said, “I would tell you that the support we have received from the federal government—that support would not have been evident a few years ago.”

[Taxation, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians asked us to plan for a better and safer future. They asked us to take concrete and thoughtful actions to tackle climate change. We listened and we heard Canadians. Our plan would cut pollution equivalent to closing 20 coal plants, while the economy and the GDP continue to grow in cleaner ways. That is the plan Canadians asked for, and we will continue to deliver.