Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to participate in the debate on Bill C-45, the jobs and growth act, 2012.
This act would implement key initiatives that would bolster Canada's economy and help improve communities across Canada with measures that create jobs, support families and communities and respect taxpayer dollars.
Many of my colleagues have, over the course of this debate, highlighted the numerous important measures that are proposed in the bill. These include extending the hiring credit for small business, removing red tape, reducing fees for our grain farmers and improving the administration of the Canada pension plan.
However, I would like to use my time today to focus on the aspects of the bill that are key to the continued economic growth of my riding of Prince George—Peace River, namely our government's commitment to the streamlining of the regulatory process in order to promote the responsible development of our natural resource sector.
As we all know, a key part of our nation's future lies within our natural resources. In my riding, these resources play a significant role in the local economy. Few regions are as blessed with natural resources as British Columbia, and this sector has been a key driving force for our local economy for decades.
Few jobs in the region are not directly affected by the development of these resources. Nationally the natural resources sector, directly and indirectly, accounts for nearly 20% of our economy. That is one-fifth of all economic activity in Canada. It is massive.
That generates 800,000 high-quality jobs in Canada. Add to that the additional 800,000 indirect jobs in other sectors, and we have close to 1.6 million jobs that depend on natural resource development, nearly 10% of all jobs in Canada. It is huge indeed.
There are more than 600 major Canadian resource projects planned over the next 10 years or currently under way. These projects represent approximately $650 billion in investments, a significant increase from the $500 billion in investments that had been identified only a year ago.
It is no secret that in today's modern society, all of us use natural resources on a daily basis, and it is clear by these numbers that the global demand for these resources is growing even stronger. However, we will have to compete with those other resource-rich countries for those vital job-creating investment dollars.
Acting on this opportunity means putting in place a world-class regulatory system. We need a system that ensures timely, efficient and effective reviews, a system that promotes business confidence in investment while strengthening our world-class environmental standards.
In economic action plan 2012, we introduced our government's responsible resource development plan, and in Bill C-45 we are continuing in our efforts to streamline the regulatory process while also maintaining rigorous environmental standards.
This commitment to streamlining the regulatory process and responsibly developing our natural resources would have a positive impact on all Canadians. In doing so, we would not be only creating and sustaining high value jobs and economic growth, but also generating billions of dollars in tax revenues to help pay for important social services.
Let me be clear. Despite continued fearmongering on the part of the opposition, projects would not proceed unless they could be done safely and responsibly. Eliminating duplication or updating legislation does not mean we are weakening the environmental standards. On the contrary, by streamlining our regulatory process we can focus environmental assessments on major projects.
For example, our proposed changes to the navigation protection act are a continuation of our government's commitment to streamlining the regulatory process. These changes would clearly define the major waterways upon which regulatory approval is required, and rely on the common law to protect navigation in non-listed waterways.
Canada's waters would continue to be protected by Transport Canada's marine safety laws, the Fisheries Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, as well as various provincial statutes.
In fact, Canada has nine acts of Parliament governing marine safety. These strict rules and regulations govern the development and shipment of products like oil and gas to safeguard public health and the environment. For example, Canada requires ships to provide 24 hours' notice before entering its waters.
The federal government also inspects every foreign tanker on its first visit to a Canadian port and, for vessels making multiple visits, at least once a year thereafter.
All large crude oil tankers must now be double-hulled. Smaller vessels must be double-hulled by the end of 2014.
Thanks to tough legislation and technological innovations, there have been no spills from double-hull tankers in Canadian waters, period. Nor have there ever been spills from tankers escorted by tugs with a local pilot aboard.
In addition, oil-handling facilities are required to have oil pollution prevention plans and oil pollution emergency plans in place. The government reviews the plans and equipment and evaluates the oil-handling facility's capabilities through exercises. With regard to pipeline safety, pipelines are currently the safest and most efficient method of transporting large volumes of oil and petroleum products over long distances, and our government has similarly tough legislation and rules in place to prevent spills.
The National Energy Board subjects pipeline development proposals to an extensive review that ensures pipelines are safe and protect the environment and the public. Permits are only granted once environmental issues and first nations concerns have been considered. Pipelines and equipment must also meet Canadian Standards Association specifications, which are considered among the most stringent in the world. Safety, integrity and emergency response programs specific to each company's infrastructure are regularly reviewed and audited by the National Energy Board. The ongoing monitoring of pipelines, inspections and site visits, as well as the ability to issue mandatory compliance orders, are also some of the tools in place to ensure pipeline safety. We are taking every possible measure to reduce the risks associated with resource development and transportation. In fact, we are going further than any government before, under our responsible resource development plan.
Why am I bringing up all these important safety measures? While Bill C-45 would continue our government's commitment to streamline the regulatory process, we would continue to have a rigorous environmental review process that would ensure our resources are developed responsibly.
As I said previously, my riding of Prince George—Peace River is a resource-rich region in Canada, with many of my constituents reliant on the development of our natural resources.
I strongly believe that we must continue to remove duplication from our regulatory system, while also ensuring that our changes would not negatively affect our strict environmental protection standards. I believe that is what we would do with the measures we have introduced in Bill C-45. We can remain good stewards of the environment and our natural resources at the same time. That is why I am proud to support Bill C-45.
