Bill C-378 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Department of Veterans Affairs Act (fairness principles)

This enactment amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Act to require that, in exercising his or her powers and in performing his or her duties and functions, the Minister of Veterans Affairs take into account certain principles in relation to, among others, persons who have served in the Canadian Forces or merchant navy or in the naval, army or air forces or merchant navies of Her Majesty as well as in relation to their dependants or survivors.

Opposition Motion—Trans Mountain Expansion Project

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the last time I checked, we actually do need a sledgehammer to build pipelines.

The government needs to exert political will to get this built. In my speech I said there are groups that will never, ever politically support the build out of a pipeline. The government must realize that by now. There are groups that are just fundamentally opposed to seeing this through.

My colleague, who will not even wait for the answer, having a government appointment, has a responsibility to speak up and not hide behind a delayed regulatory process. She needs to understand that this is not going to get built without the Prime Minister saying, and should have said last week, that this is something of national import and that he will look at every constitutional tool to get this done, that he stands behind his decision and will not allow the provinces to use interprovincial trade as a barrier, especially when we are trying to negotiate with the United States on NAFTA. That is leadership and hiding behind false equivalencies is not leadership.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I was surprised by how my colleague began her speech earlier. She said she wanted to have a clear and honest debate. I agree.

However, when someone tries to tell me that oil from the tar sands is clean oil, I am not sure how honest that is. When someone tells me that we import oil from Saudi Arabia, that, too, is not being honest. Some people say that it is safer to transport oil by train. However, the U.S. department studied spills between 2002 and 2012, specifically spills from pipelines versus trains, and found that train transportation is not safer. Those are the facts and the studies that have been done.

The federal government, whether Conservative or Liberal, takes a heavy handed approach with the provinces, including Quebec, deciding for them and ignoring provincial governments, which just want to protect their citizens.

How is this justified?

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, what my colleague said was “I don't believe this is safe”. That is like saying, “I believe in the tooth fairy”. This is why we have quantitative, evaluative processes to determine whether or not a project is safe. This project has gone through inordinate amounts of environmental assessments to determine that very question by scientists.

What the member has just said is that she is going to politicize this by coming up with a bunch of stuff that is not backed up by fact, when we should be looking at the outcome of a review process that took months and used scientific efforts. I do not accept her politicization and fearmongering on this topic.

[Jim Eglinski, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard from two ministers and the secretary of state to the minister about the Trans Mountain expansion being good for Canada and that it is in Canada's interests. However, if we look at the recent past, the Liberals rejected the northern gateway pipeline project, which would have moved Canadian oil to the Pacific Ocean. The Liberals put an oil ban on it. Then the Liberals dragged their heels and forced TransCanada to cancel the energy east pipeline, which would have left Canadian plants in New Brunswick to refine clean oil. There were a whole bunch of extra regulations.

Does the member think there is an ulterior idea here? Does she see dishonesty by the government members? It seems to be a way of dragging their heels and hoping this thing cancels.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this morning the minister started his speech by saying the “purpose of this debate is to fan regional tensions and open historical grievances.” That is pretty telling. The first thing out of the mouth of the natural resources minister was a political statement like that. Instead of looking at one of these projects as a way to build prosperity across the country, he put that little nugget out there. Would the Liberals not love that?

When I was in cabinet, the first thing the former prime minister always did was to look at regional balances and projects, and I feel like the Liberal government is doing the opposite. The only reason this is an issue right now is because of the statements that came out of the mouths of both the Prime Minister and the natural resources minister. I am sure all Canadians who understand that a united Canada is greater than the sum of its parts will hold him to account, especially in Winnipeg, for those ignorant and divisive comments.

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Cloverdale—Langley City.

In consideration of the opposition day motion before the House, I would like to highlight recent contributions made by the people of British Columbia to national public policy with regard to the environment and climate change, fisheries, oceans and the Coast Guard, transportation safety, and indigenous inclusion as a common thread throughout. Because of the engagement and leadership of this government, British Columbia has made great strides forward.

We are striking a better balance for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

To begin, however, I would like to talk about the Olympics for a minute, partly because it is topical but mainly because my involvement in the games over the years has helped me to understand British Columbia and Alberta better, both with respect to domestic interests and international trade, as well as in the development of good public policy.

In 2006 in Torino, Italy, the Vancouver organizing committee for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games hosted Canada House. I was part of the senior delegation because I was the mayor of West Vancouver, and ski and snowboard events were going to be held on the local mountain.

In Torino, Canada House was the single most popular venue that people wanted to visit. They lined up for blocks, from all over the world, to see the Squamish Nation carved front doors, to feel the pillars made of timber from B.C.'s majestic forests, and to experience Coast Salish culture.

[Kennedy Stewart, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. We are having an incredibly important debate today on the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline. As much as I enjoy the Olympics, the parliamentary secretary should be concentrating on that. I would ask you, Mr. Speaker, to ask her to move to that topic.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

I thank the hon. member for Burnaby South for his intervention. He is right. We ask all hon. members to ensure their remarks are pertinent to the question before the House. It is not uncustomary for members, from time to time, at the start of their remarks to proceed with a brief intervention or comment in respect to something that is current and perhaps relevant to Canadian society at the moment or timely. The emphasis there would be on brief, so the parliamentary secretary can turn to something like that briefly and then quickly come back to the question before the House. I would encourage her to do that and stay on topic.

We will get back to the hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, British Columbia's commitment to the Four Host First Nations and the green games had never been seen before.

Four years later, we hosted the games in Vancouver, and my special assistant was seconded from Calgary, Alberta. Her name was Wendy Tynan. She was an unbelievable partner, and her father was involved in Alberta House.

It was a real revelation to me that the public art installation in Alberta House was a digital readout of the price of oil that day. This is what Albertans wanted their guests to see. Cheers would go up spontaneously when the price went up, no matter what.

The reason I am mentioning B.C. House and Alberta House is not to oversimplify or waste anyone's time. It is to explain the challenge of governing for all parts of Canada, and the fundamental elements of the Trans Mountain decision.

I will begin with what are vital considerations for British Columbians. We take our responsibility for environmental protection and advocacy seriously. It is a public trust.

The previous federal government abandoned the public trust with regard to the natural environment, marine safety, and public engagement. It gutted the Fisheries Act and the Navigable Waters Protection Act. It closed the Kitsilano Coast Guard station. It diminished the importance of maritime safety and our capacity for proper protection on the west coast. It forsook the public's genuine and abiding interest in providing input to the National Energy Board. It muzzled scientists. It simply failed to recognize what it had done to the soul of those of us who lived on Canada's coastlines and the respect we had for the natural environment.

Every member of Parliament from British Columbia on the government benches arrived here to advocate for the protection of our coasts and marine ecosystems, and our government is unequivocal in its commitment to the protection of Canada's waters and marine ecosystems.

In November 2016, the Prime Minister launched the $1.5 billion oceans protection plan in Vancouver. This historic national investment will protect Canada's marine environments, improve marine safety, and ensure responsible shipping. It will provide indigenous communities and coastal communities with new opportunities to protect, preserve, and restore Canada's oceans and sea routes.

Under the OPP, we reopened and expanded the capacity of the Kitsilano Coast Guard station, which will now house two inflatable rescue boats, as well as a specialized pollution response vessel. As well, the Coast Guard's 24/7 response will be strengthened to protect Canada's waters and to lead in responding to marine emergencies.

To ensure world-leading marine safety and spill response, we are deploying two large heavy-tow tugs in British Columbia, the first coming into service this year, and the next one, next year. They are capable of towing commercial tankers and large container ships.

No doubt, members will remember when a Russian cargo ship, the Simushir, lost power in the fall of 2014 and began drifting toward Haida Gwaii. An Alaska-based tugboat, the Barbara Foss, was refuelling nearby, and was able to tow the cargo ship to safety. We simply lacked that capacity. The oceans protection plan addresses that.

We will also have new indigenous community response teams in B.C., offering training for search and rescue, environmental response, incident command, and for a greater role in marine safety.

Through the OPP, we are investing in British Columbia and across Canada to establish a world-leading marine safety system, and to expand the scientific foundation for spill response.

We have marshalled research capacity in labs in B.C., Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to spearhead wide-ranging new chemical and biological research into the behaviour and effects of dilbit in marine environments, and to build world-leading ocean modelling capacity to underpin risk-based spill response planning. We are also providing additional funding in science and research to improve technologies that will mitigate and prevent marine incidents.

In B.C., we are also establishing environmental baseline assessments at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert in order to assess how human activities may impact our marine ecosystems over time. By doing this, we will better understand coastal ecosystems and the potential effects of regional marine vessel activity on the environment. I know this is central to the concern of the Government of British Columbia.

Certainly, our government's interest in developing the Department of Fisheries and Oceans lab in West Vancouver into the Pacific science enterprise centre and the partnerships that are already happening there, are entirely focused on science research and community engagement with regard to critical questions of marine ecosystems.

In 2016, an integrity review of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans was conducted and as a result, $1.4 billion was added to the base budget, reflective of the need to restore the devastation of the cuts made by the previous government and in order to carry out core functions of the fisheries department.

We wholeheartedly endorse the Cohen Commission recommendations and have now adopted 64 out of 75. We are working to implement wild salmon policy, at long last. We moved swiftly to ensure the salmon enhancement program was intact.

With respect to our commitment to marine protected areas, we are over halfway to our goal of 10% of Canada's coastlines by 2020.

Last week, the Minister of Fisheries announced the new Fisheries Act, to restore lost protections removed by the previous government. I look forward to debating that tomorrow. It is an exciting opportunity to advocate for wild salmon and the end of open-net salmon aquaculture, as I have mentioned in the House before.

The OPP and the renewed fisheries budget mean that $2.9 billion have been invested for coastal communities and the nation's waterways. We are devoted to working with the government of British Columbia on all of these initiatives. We know that by recognizing and balancing regional interests, we build the national interest.

Canada is a world-leading trading nation. Our economy and the ability to create good middle-class jobs depend on our ability to access and serve global markets, supported by our ability to access foreign markets through responsible shipping. We have to be committed to protecting Canada's coastlines and to every Canadian whose livelihood depends on the economic viability of Canada's waterways and natural resources.

Our government has consulted extensively. In 2015, in his mandate letter, the Minister of Transport was asked to legislate a tanker ban on the north coast of B.C. arising directly from concerns there. We listened. In January of 2016, we introduced a set of interim principles to improve on the process of assessing pipelines and projects. Public comment expanded, and we listened. In November 2016, our government rejected Enbridge's proposal for the northern gateway pipeline and endorsed the Trans Mountain project, attaching 157 conditions.

This demonstrates a balanced approach, a thorough approach, and one that has been achieved by acting in good faith.

It is the federal government's legal responsibility to ensure marine, rail, and pipeline safety, which we will uphold and endeavour to ensure reflects broad considerations and benefits most people.

The OPP, the new Fisheries Act, and the government's decision on the Trans Mountain project contribute substantially to strengthen the environment and the economy. There is no question that moving forward with Trans Mountain has been a difficult decision to make, and an even harder one for many to accept, particularly many in my community. However, now is the time to focus on the legislative strides we are taking to protect the coastal environment, wild salmon, ocean health, to tackle climate change, and embrace opportunities for innovation and renewable energy as we transition to a low-carbon economy.

I look forward to working with all British Columbians, Albertans, and Canadians toward our shared goals.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that people in my constituency and across Canada have a legitimate basis for being worried about the intentions of the government. The Trans Mountain pipeline really is the only pipeline that the government has not killed yet, and it is looking for all kinds of different ways to do so. With northern gateway, it was killing it directly. With energy east, it was compounding the process for review to such an extent that it was far beyond what we had seen with any other similar project. The government, frankly, is looking for excuses to kill these projects, even if it does not necessarily want to say it is doing it directly. Canadians have a legitimate concern about the government's credibility on this issue.

I want to understand from the parliamentary secretary what the difference is. If the government professes to be supportive of this pipeline project but, on the other hand, has done everything it can to kill every other pipeline project, why should Canadians have confidence in it when it comes to this one?

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the hon. member that it was the courts that killed northern gateway explicitly because of the previous government's failure to consult. I have spent my time explaining the confidence we had to rebuild as a result of the previous government's egregious actions in gutting the Fisheries Act and the Navigable Waters Protection Act, in closing the Kitsilano Coast Guard base, and in not acting to ensure that the west coast of Canada was protected in consideration of adding additional tankers.

I certainly believe my colleagues are capable of this. In the interests of British Columbians who seem to be at odds for the moment, we, as federal members of Parliament, have an obligation to work together for the greater good.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, as the member is now a champion for Kinder Morgan, I want to bring back the thoughts that were brought forward in the campaign. We know that in the last campaign, in Esquimalt, B.C., coastal B.C. where we are both from, the Prime Minister promised voters that ongoing pipeline reviews would have to be redone under stronger, more credible rules, including for the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline project.

There was a question to the Prime Minister, “does your NEB overhaul apply to Kinder Morgan?” The Prime Minister answered “Yes, yes.... It applies to existing projects, existing pipeline...” as well.

The question was, “Okay, so if they approve Kinder Morgan in January, you’re saying-” The Prime Minister said “No, they are not going to approve it in January because we are going to change the government, and that process needs to be redone.” That was in August 2015.

When the Prime Minister said it was going to be redone, it was going to be under a new process. That did not happen.

My colleague talked about governing for all people across Canada. Will the member stand up and start governing for coastal people? Coastal people did not grant this project social licence, and the Prime Minister said to the people of coastal B.C. in August 2015 that he was going to show up for coastal people and stand up for them. It did not happen.

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there is not a single day I have spent in Ottawa that I have not been devoted to restoring lost protection from the previous government with regard to the Fisheries Act, with regard to the navigable waters protection Act. These are the loud, clear, strong, practical, pragmatic, and reasoned voices of British Columbians working in concert with our resource sector.

What has been redone is the Fisheries Act. What has been done in the first instance is a national price on carbon. What has been redone or invented is the oceans protection plan, a $1.5 billion historic investment in marine safety, and that is not to mention the $1.4 billion added back into the fisheries budget. Those are the things that British Columbians care about.

This is very tough for British Columbia, but I feel that in the end we have come up with a balanced decision that respects our neighbours in Alberta and all Canadians.

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, as we have mentioned several times, this government believes that economic growth and protecting our environment go hand in hand. We have also made clear our determination to build a new relationship with indigenous peoples based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership. Nowhere is that commitment clearer than in our promise to work in full partnership with indigenous peoples when considering the development of natural resources and related major projects. We recognize that their relationship with the land is profound and that the impacts of development can be great.

We understand, too, that indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge of the land and its resources is intrinsic to their cultural practices and that we all benefit when the best of science is harmonized with traditional knowledge. That is why we promised to approach development decisions in a socially responsible and environmentally sound way, and why we pledge to consult closely with potentially affected communities to make sure we factor in their perspectives and fully consider their concerns.

Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, recognizes and protects existing and acquired aboriginal and treaty rights. These rights have been upheld in recent decisions on several pipeline projects which were made through open and inclusive processes. This includes the Trans Mountain expansion project.

I remind the House that the ministers of natural resources and environment and climate change added extra consultations with first nations regarding the Trans Mountain project. They also undertook an analysis of its impact on greenhouse gas emissions from the oil sands. Many see these projects as an opportunity for job creation and are interested in the socioeconomic benefits generated by sustainable resource development.

Stephen Buffalo, president and CEO of the Indian Resource Council, said at an energy conference last year, “We are depending on these pipelines for the success of the Canadian economy.”

That view was echoed in a recent interview by Calvin Helin, an executive with Eagle Spirit Energy, a company that hopes to build an indigenous-owned pipeline from the Alberta oil sands to the B.C. coast. He stated, “The reality is it is the only way forward. There's nothing else..”.

That said, while resource-based projects can spur investment, indigenous peoples, along with other Canadians, have been adamant that development decisions must be environmentally responsible and consider the concerns of potentially affected communities, which many believe have too often been neglected. That is in large part due to previous reforms to environmental laws and regulations that eroded public trust and put our environment and communities at risk. In response, our government put in place interim principles for project reviews in January 2016. They were followed up with a comprehensive process to review existing laws and seek the input of Canadians on how to improve our environmental and regulatory system.

Last week, the government delivered on its commitment to introduce proposed legislation that would put in place better rules for major projects to protect our environment, fish and waterways, support reconciliation with indigenous peoples, and rebuild public trust in how decisions about resource development are made. With these better rules, Canadians, companies, and investors can be confident that good projects will move forward in a responsible, timely, and transparent way, to protect our environment while creating jobs and growing our economy. These new rules reflect what the government heard from provinces and territories, indigenous peoples, businesses, environmental groups, and Canadians through extensive consultations across the country.

I also can assure my hon. colleague representing the riding of Lakeland that businesses will have greater clarity about what is required of them and that review timetables will be more predictable. This is crucial, given the hundreds of major resource projects worth over $600 billion in investment that are planned across Canada over the coming decade. Project reviews will be both more rigorous and more efficient, with reduced legislated timelines and clear requirements from the start. Canadians will have ongoing opportunities to provide their input on regulations and policy changes required to accompany the legislation. These improved rules will protect our environment and communities while making sure that good projects can get built to create jobs for Canadians. Equally essential, these progressive measures reinforce the need to consult with indigenous peoples. The new legislation establishes clear principles for assessing major resource projects in partnership with indigenous peoples.

As the Minister of Natural Resources said last week, with this legislation we are demonstrating how we can balance the economy and our environment. We can get projects responsibly built and get our resources to market while advancing reconciliation with indigenous peoples and protecting the environment for future generations. Our government takes its responsibilities seriously, to ensure that a strong economy and a clean environment go hand in hand for the benefit of all Canadians. We are legally responsible to ensure marine, rail, and pipeline safety and will strictly enforce these laws and regulations. We have made the transport of petroleum products safer through the Pipeline Safety Act, and enshrined the polluter pays principle into law. Our new measures enhance prevention, preparedness, and response, and liability and compensation.

Our $1.5 billion oceans protection plan is the largest investment ever made to protect Canada's coasts and waterways for generations to come. Oceans protection plan projects are on track to deliver real results and are transforming working relationships with indigenous peoples, coastal communities, and stakeholders.

I would like to reiterate that the review of any large natural resource project must consider all of the very real environmental challenges that we face. Our record on previous pipeline reviews has demonstrated that projects can be approved within these parameters. Similarly, under the proposed new rules, decisions on these projects will be guided by science, evidence, and indigenous traditional knowledge.

When deciding on the Trans Mountain expansion project, our government conducted a thorough review based on science and evidence. We considered five factors: first, ensuring the engagement of indigenous peoples concerning their rights and interests; second, the need for oceans protection; third, ensuring that the project could be built and used safely and securely; fourth, ensuring that the project fits within Canada's climate change target; and last, determining whether the project was in the national interest. These five new rules will continue to apply to new projects. Nothing in the newly proposed legislation would change that.

I am very proud to be part of a team that has worked hard to deliver on its commitment to engage with indigenous peoples on resource development in Canada and to restore Canadians' confidence in the review process. This is our government's plan for Canada, a plan that points us to a stronger economy and a cleaner environment. We stand by our decision to approve the Trans Mountain expansion project, just as we stand by our commitments to Canadians to engage with indigenous peoples on resource development and implement world-leading measures to protect the environment and our coasts. We approved TMX because we know that our coasts and communities will be well protected.

I invite the hon. member for Lakeland to work with us on this nation-building plan rather than using an opportunity to further ignite regional tensions.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague and friend from coastal B.C. cares a lot about tourism in British Columbia. Tens of thousands of jobs rely on a clean and healthy environment in British Columbia, and the government constantly talks about its ocean protection plan.

I will tell members what it looks like, if they ask the people in English Bay how the government's ocean protection plan responded to their bunker fuel spill; or the Heiltsuk, on how they dealt with a diesel spill there; or the Hanjin. These are shipping containers that landed in coastal B.C. When I came to the House and asked the Prime Minister what he was going to do to help coastal people deal with the largest marine debris spill in decades, he said they have a world-class protection plan and did nothing for the people of coastal B.C.

There is no trust from coastal people that the ocean protection plan is going to protect what is happening right now, never mind a sevenfold increase of raw bitumen when they do not even know how they are going to clean it up. Does the member think that two tugs and their proposals for an ocean protection plan are good enough for what is happening today, never mind a sevenfold increase of tanker traffic on the coast of British Columbia?