Bill C-69 (Historical)

An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts

Part 1 enacts the Impact Assessment Act and repeals the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. Among other things, the Impact Assessment Act
(a) names the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada as the authority responsible for impact assessments;
(b) provides for a process for assessing the environmental, health, social and economic effects of designated projects with a view to preventing certain adverse effects and fostering sustainability;
(c) prohibits proponents, subject to certain conditions, from carrying out a designated project if the designated project is likely to cause certain environmental, health, social or economic effects, unless the Minister of the Environment or Governor in Council determines that those effects are in the public interest, taking into account the impacts on the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Canada, all effects that may be caused by the carrying out of the project, the extent to which the project contributes to sustainability and other factors;
(d) establishes a planning phase for a possible impact assessment of a designated project, which includes requirements to cooperate with and consult certain persons and entities and requirements with respect to public participation;
(e) authorizes the Minister to refer an impact assessment of a designated project to a review panel if he or she considers it in the public interest to do so, and requires that an impact assessment be referred to a review panel if the designated project includes physical activities that are regulated under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act and the Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act;
(f) establishes time limits with respect to the planning phase, to impact assessments and to certain decisions, in order to ensure that impact assessments are conducted in a timely manner;
(g) provides for public participation and for funding to allow the public to participate in a meaningful manner;
(h) sets out the factors to be taken into account in conducting an impact assessment, including the impacts on the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Canada;
(i) provides for cooperation with certain jurisdictions, including Indigenous governing bodies, through the delegation of any part of an impact assessment, the joint establishment of a review panel or the substitution of another process for the impact assessment;
(j) provides for transparency in decision-making by requiring that the scientific and other information taken into account in an impact assessment, as well as the reasons for decisions, be made available to the public through a registry that is accessible via the Internet;
(k) provides that the Minister may set conditions, including with respect to mitigation measures, that must be implemented by the proponent of a designated project;
(l) provides for the assessment of cumulative effects of existing or future activities in a specific region through regional assessments and of federal policies, plans and programs, and of issues, that are relevant to the impact assessment of designated projects through strategic assessments; and
(m) sets out requirements for an assessment of environmental effects of non-designated projects that are on federal lands or that are to be carried out outside Canada.
Part 2 enacts the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, which establishes the Canadian Energy Regulator and sets out its composition, mandate and powers. The role of the Regulator is to regulate the exploitation, development and transportation of energy within Parliament’s jurisdiction.
The Canadian Energy Regulator Act, among other things,
(a) provides for the establishment of a Commission that is responsible for the adjudicative functions of the Regulator;
(b) ensures the safety and security of persons, energy facilities and abandoned facilities and the protection of property and the environment;
(c) provides for the regulation of pipelines, abandoned pipelines, and traffic, tolls and tariffs relating to the transmission of oil or gas through pipelines;
(d) provides for the regulation of international power lines and certain interprovincial power lines;
(e) provides for the regulation of renewable energy projects and power lines in Canada’s offshore;
(f) provides for the regulation of access to lands;
(g) provides for the regulation of the exportation of oil, gas and electricity and the interprovincial oil and gas trade; and
(h) sets out the process the Commission must follow before making, amending or revoking a declaration of a significant discovery or a commercial discovery under the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act and the process for appealing a decision made by the Chief Conservation Officer or the Chief Safety Officer under that Act.
Part 2 also repeals the National Energy Board Act.
Part 3 amends the Navigation Protection Act to, among other things,
(a) rename it the Canadian Navigable Waters Act;
(b) provide a comprehensive definition of navigable water;
(c) require that, when making a decision under that Act, the Minister must consider any adverse effects that the decision may have on the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Canada;
(d) require that an owner apply for an approval for a major work in any navigable water if the work may interfere with navigation;
(e)  set out the factors that the Minister must consider when deciding whether to issue an approval;
(f) provide a process for addressing navigation-related concerns when an owner proposes to carry out a work in navigable waters that are not listed in the schedule;
(g) provide the Minister with powers to address obstructions in any navigable water;
(h) amend the criteria and process for adding a reference to a navigable water to the schedule;
(i) require that the Minister establish a registry; and
(j) provide for new measures for the administration and enforcement of the Act.
Part 4 makes consequential amendments to Acts of Parliament and regulations.

Opposition Motion—Food Inflation and Budgetary Policy

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to once again rise in the people's House. I always count it a privilege, and it is the first time I am addressing the House with a speech since being re-elected by the great people of Tobique—Mactaquac. I want to express my appreciation and heartfelt thanks to them and to my family for all their love, support and care. It is truly the honour of my life to serve here in the people's House, so I want to thank them.

It is a privilege to rise on this opposition motion. Our motion is to hold the government to account and put forward alternatives that would serve the people of Canada. It is only responsible for any government, and let alone government, but any family or business, to bring forth a budget and to plan, to make sure to, at the end of the day, when at all possible, balance the budget and make sure there is enough there to pay the bills, meet the obligations and hopefully, if they are fortunate enough, have a little bit to set aside for the future.

What is true for a household and a business should also be true for any government, especially the Government of Canada, but right now, we are going into one of the longest periods in our history without having a budget tabled. I think Canadians from coast to coast are wondering when that budget will get tabled. It is wonderful to have great ideas, have wonderful plans and talk a great game, but can it back it up with the dollars and cents, the budgetary means, to both make it happen and be responsible? I think Canadians are looking to us to provide reasonable alternatives and to make sure we hold the government to account in regard to this.

I have a few remarks today. I guess, the way to sum it up is from my background. I like the use of alliteration, so I have four Cs, and I am going to try to cover them quickly in the short time that we have. There are four Cs to seeing our way clear.

The first C we need to address here today is the challenges we face. When we start thinking about the challenges we face as a nation, none of us should be ignorant of these, as we have several. One of the first and foremost challenges is the rising cost of living. We have heard a lot about how our food inflation is the highest in the G7, but I do not have to look at an economics report to realize that. I just have to visit a local grocery store and talk to the seniors who are on fixed incomes trying to make ends meet or talk to the young families who are trying to make their mortgage payments and their vehicle payments, keep their kids in sports and maybe plan for a bit of a trip, if they could at the end of the day, while putting food on the table. When I talk to them, I soon realize the challenges we are facing as they relate to food inflation and the soaring cost of groceries.

The challenges we face are not just what is happening at home, here in our country. We are also obviously feeling the effects of the global uncertainty happening right now: wars, rumours of wars, conflicts and riots. We are seeing instability. We are seeing things that once seemed so certain that no longer seem certain. With that, there is rising anxiety, fear and despair. We, as elected representatives, pick that up in our daily conversations and interactions with people. We hear it, and we cannot help but be affected by it. We are surrounded by those challenges, and yes, Canada's not immune to the external threats, but there are a lot of those that we do not have direct control over. We cannot affect what is happening overseas on a grand scale. We have a limited amount that we can say and do in regard to the vast geopolitical challenges facing our world.

The greatest threat to us, far more than anything that may be happening externally or some strong southern wind that may blow in from time to time, is the threats that are within. We have gone through an era of Canadian self-sabotage. That is the biggest threat that the House has the responsibility to address.

It was no external force that brought a carbon tax on our people. It was no external government that shut down pipeline construction and passed Bill C-69 and Bill C-48. It was no external government that brought the highest levels of taxation in comparison to other advanced economies. It was our own government in our own country. That is the biggest challenge we have to face, which is to get our own house in order and have a massive course correction so that we can change the way we are going. If we deal with our problems within, we can face the challenges without with confidence.

Though our challenges are many and that is the first C, I have to deal with the second C, which refers to contradictions. We are filled with contradictions when I consider the record of our dear friends on the other side. These were the ones who said that, if we do not put in a carbon tax, we will burn our planet. These are the ones who said that, if we do not put the cost on carbon, we are going to absolutely destroy our environment in this country. I am glad they contradicted themselves most recently and adopted our policy of eliminating, or reducing, as I think that, for now, it has been eliminated for the consumer, the carbon tax.

They realized that it is a punitive tax that accomplished nothing as it relates to the environment and only had a diminishing impact on the pocketbooks of Canadians. I thank them for recognizing that the carbon tax served no purpose but to punish our own citizens.

The contradictions continue. While they reduced the rate of the carbon tax to zero, as a result of the election, they kept the carbon tax on, and are going to put it on, industry, thinking, somehow, that the industries are not going to transmit those costs back to the consumers, who are ultimately Canadians. Talk about contradictions. It is really quite something. These are the same ones who were against pipeline construction, who talked down our oil and gas sector for 10 years and who said that it was dirty oil and dirty gas. All of a sudden, they are becoming champions for it. I am thankful for the road-to-Damascus experience my friends on the other side have had, and I hope it continues, but I cannot help but be struck by the contradiction. Canadians must be scratching their heads and asking if this is the same crew. They look the same. They sound somewhat the same but they are talking a new talk. I think that, if we are going to overcome and see our way clear, we have to overcome the contradictions between what they have done in policy and what they are saying in rhetoric.

Let us get the policy fixed so that we can get the country on the right course. That is the third C. I have to get to my third and fourth Cs. The second was the contradictions we have to overcome. Do members know what that means, if we overcome the contradictions? We have to have a course correction. It is time to change course.

It is time to stop pitting one region against another region. It is time to stop pitting rural Canadians against urban Canadians. It is time to stop pitting family against family and start bringing Canadians together to do something big for the country, which is, yes, to build the infrastructure necessary to get our energy and our resources to world markets so that we can lift our standard of living and tackle the food inflation crisis face on.

It is time to get off the backs of our farmers, producers and workers and leave more of the money in their pockets, the money that they have worked hard to earn. It is time that we change course as a country and get on the right way. By doing that, we will start seeing our way clear. I challenge the House to consider a severe course correction from the error and the era of Canadian self-sabotage to the time and the season of great change that will bring prosperity, not just to a certain element of our society, the elite and the sophisticated, but to all Canadians, especially the working class, those who put boots on every day, carry their buckets to work and wait on our tables. They are those who have often been overlooked and forgotten. Let us change course and make sure that their needs are addressed in the House.

The last C I am going to end on is this: There is a question that comes in the midst of a crisis. Oftentimes, we look at who can save us, what can save us, what can change it and what can help us. I think we have to ask ourselves what it is in our own house that needs to be addressed. If we look at what is in our own house, we can find the answers to our problem. Stop blaming that which is without. Stop looking everywhere else to escape our own responsibility. Let us change course within and unleash the potential of Canada's resource, energy and farming sectors, and watch us overcome any challenge we could ever face. It is time to get our own house in order.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague and congratulate him on coming back to the House.

There are a number of things that can be done. We can get rid of the industrial carbon tax. The Liberal government can stop attacking our farmers, so that we can bring down the cost of what it costs to farm in this country. We need to increase competition, and we are only going to do that if we get rid of the red tape and all the barriers that the government created. Getting rid of bills like Bill C-69 and Bill C-48, the oil and gas cap, would be a signal to the world that we are serious. We can lower taxes on businesses and corporations and lower personal taxes so that we can bring more competition into this country, which the Liberals have driven away. Those are some of the concrete steps we can take to lower the grocery bills.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

moved:

That, given that,

(i) the Prime Minister said he will be held to account by prices Canadians pay at the grocery store,

(ii) under the Liberal government, food inflation continues to rise, forcing families to eat less nutritious foods,

(iii) Canadian families will pay $16,834 for food this year, an $800 increase from last year,

the House call on the government to present a fiscally responsible budget before the House adjourns for the summer, that reverses Liberal inflationary policies so Canadians can afford to put food on the table.

Mr. Speaker, since this is my first time rising to my feet in this 45th Parliament, I want to take the time to thank some important people. First and foremost, I want to thank the great people of Calgary East for giving me, for the third time, the opportunity and great honour to represent them in the House of Commons and to represent all Canadians and, most importantly, Albertans, who are screaming out loud that once again the government is attacking not only Alberta but our energy sector. I also want to thank my entire campaign team, all the volunteers and everyone who put in all the hours to help me get re-elected.

I want to congratulate you, Mr. Speaker, on your new role as Speaker.

I heard, door by door, in my constituency and in many others that the cost of groceries today is not only alarming but devastating for most families, which are just barely getting by. It did not take very long for the Liberals to expose that this guy is much worse than the old guy, Justin Trudeau. It is because he is already spending more than Justin Trudeau did, and things are only going to get worse.

We have to remember the Prime Minister said that he is a man with a plan, so let us look at his track record. He might say he is new, but had been advising the old guy for the last five years. What happened in the last five years? Canadians were hit after the Liberal government doubled the national debt and caused the worst inflationary crisis in Canadian history. Along with that, Canadians were hit with the most rapid interest rate hikes in Canadian history. Food bank usage doubled under this guy in his advisory role to Justin Trudeau. There is no way he can get away with saying that he is new here; he is the one who helped cause all the pain and suffering among Canadians over the last five years, the worst in Canadian history, in fact.

Let us take a look at what happened with all the spending of Canadian taxpayer money the government did.

After doubling the national debt and printing massive amounts of money, inflation soared. With inflation, came food inflation. If we look at the government's record since the Liberals took office in 2015, we see that food inflation has grown 38%.

Here are some new, alarming statistics about household groceries: Vegetable oil is up 50%, butter is up 45%, chicken breast is up 41%, ground beef is up 40%, milk is up 33%, bread is up 30% and eggs are up 28%. The average family this year will spend about $17,000 at the grocery store on average. That is $800 more this year that they will have to spend.

We hear all across the board that families are already suffering because the Liberal government, under the current Prime Minister's advice, doubled housing costs, which made more of a Canadian's paycheque go toward housing.

Before I continue, I want say that I am splitting my time with my new, great colleague from Richmond—Arthabaska.

After the Liberal government, under the current Prime Minister's advice, doubled housing costs, whether for mortgages or rents, more and more of each Canadian's paycheque is going toward housing. What does that do? It puts a strain on Canadians' paycheques, because wages have not gone up; they have not kept up with inflation. The government did a great job of driving Canadian investment out of Canada, which has meant paycheques are not as powerful as they used to be.

With all the money-printing and borrowing, the Liberals also had to raise taxes to collect from Canadians. Therefore, not only did they double housing costs, which has meant that for some families, up to 80% of their paycheque goes toward housing, but they have left less and less for other essentials and goods.

What are Canadian families doing now to compensate? Well, they are taking on more debt. Credit card debt is up. More and more families are now borrowing money from loved ones and friends, and they are not able to pay those debts back.

It does not take much to realize how much more expensive things are at the grocery store. We all remember how far $200 used to go at the grocery store. We could easily get a week or maybe two weeks of groceries before this government took over. Now $200 does not get us very far or many bags of groceries. In fact, $200 might even be two bags of groceries that last two to three days. Families and single moms are making some very tough decisions. They are having to buy less nutritious food for their kids, and for the first time in Canadian history, one in four Canadians is skipping meals because they cannot afford groceries. A third of those people are children.

On top of all that, we are seeing more and more food bank usage. In fact, it is the most in Canadian history. More than two million Canadians are going to a food bank in a single month. These stats do not sound like a first-world country. It is not the kind of country that my family or other people moved to or grew up in. Canada used to be one of those countries where people could put in hard work and get by. They could, on one income, afford their housing costs and groceries and put their kids in tutoring or sports, but after 10 years of the incompetent Liberal government, Canadians cannot do the same anymore.

There are double-income earners going to food banks, with stats we have never heard before. People who used to volunteer at food banks are standing in line at food banks for food. That is the record of the Prime Minister's advice over the last five years and what the Liberal government has done to Canadians and the reputation of Canada. It has diminished under the government over the last 10 years.

When we talk about grocery prices overall, we have to acknowledge the productivity crisis and the competition crisis the government created. As I said before, it drove away half a trillion dollars of good Canadian investment. That meant jobs, people and equipment. Good Canadian money ran away from Canada because the government made it impossible for anyone to want to invest here. In fact, Canada looks closed for business.

Trying to kill one of our most important industries, the energy sector, signalled this to the world: If the Liberal government cannot even support our most important industry and puts barriers up and tries to choke it, what hope does any other industry have? What is the effect of that? It affects our farmers. The industrial carbon tax and the carbon tax the government had before made it more and more expensive for our farmers to farm. The fertilizer tax the government put in and the cap are the types of bad policies that drove investment away and made things more expensive here, because if it is more expensive to produce or farm, then obviously it is going to be more expensive at the end of the day.

We need to get rid of the bad bills and make Canada open for business again. We need to get rid of Bill C-69, Bill C-48 and the oil and gas cap to show the world that we are serious and are open for business and so that one of our most important industries can help contribute to making Canada the great country it once was before the Liberals. It will give Canadians the most powerful paycheques, which will have an effect on other industries, like housing, and on competition overall, as with groceries.

We know Canadians are paying some of the highest grocery bills in the world. Canadians are paying the highest cellphone bills in the world and the highest banking fees in the world because investment keeps fleeing because of the incompetent policies from the Liberal government. That is not to mention that, overall, after the government doubled the national debt, it put strain on Canadians. In fact, as I said, now Canadians are borrowing more and more. They have more credit card debt and debt overall.

That is why Canadians needed a plan. The Prime Minister promised one but did not deliver. He is just like the old guy. They could have delivered a plan through a budget this spring, because Canadians need to know how much worse things are going to get. If we already know the Prime Minister is spending more than Justin Trudeau, how much higher are taxes going to go? What is the government's plan to get the economy going, if it is not going to get rid of Bill C-69, Bill C-48 or the oil and gas cap? Canadians need to know. They deserve to know.

We are once again calling on the government to release a spring budget and be clear and transparent with Canadians on what kind of plan it has. We have already said before that the Liberals have already started to steal some of the Conservatives' ideas. Why not steal all of them so that Canadians can actually get back the country we used to have?

Once again, it is time for the government to be transparent and deliver a budget this spring. If it really wants to lower the cost of groceries, it needs to bring more competition into this country.

Oil and Gas Industry

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Madam Speaker, that rhetoric and the Liberals' photo ops do not matter; actions do, and the truth is that no private sector pipelines will be built to coasts with shipping and drilling bans. Companies will not build pipelines while the government is the only one in the world to cap Canadian oil and gas and to carbon-tax Canadian industries; the U.S. and others do not.

The Liberals will not kill the anti-development bill, Bill C-69, which premiers, indigenous leaders, the private sector and the Supreme Court oppose. The Liberals also say that there has to be consensus but that they alone will define what is in the national interest.

Why will the Liberals not just repeal all their anti-energy laws so Canadian workers can at least—

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the consensus is clear. Calls to build pipelines and energy infrastructure are growing. The people of Quebec and Beauce want pipelines. The only obstacle is the Liberal government. Building energy projects reduces our dependence on the United States, strengthens the Canadian economy and creates wealth for Canadians. Anti-energy Bill C‑69 must be repealed.

Why does the Liberal government want to continue impoverishing Canadians?

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Airdrie—Cochrane, AB]

Mr. Speaker, well, the minister can use all the nice words he wants, but they mean nothing without action, and nothing gets built without removing the barriers: Trudeau's Bill C-69, his west coast shipping ban, his oil and gas cap and the industrial carbon tax. The Prime Minister claimed that he is the man with the plan, but his plan for the oil and gas sector seems to be the same anti-energy approach as Justin Trudeau's.

It is time for the Prime Minister to be honest with Canadians. If he cannot even find consensus among his own cabinet, how is he going to approve a pipeline?

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Airdrie—Cochrane, AB]

Mr. Speaker, words do not build pipelines; actions do, actions like scrapping Trudeau's Bill C-69, his west coast shipping ban, the industrial carbon tax and the Liberal energy cap. However, the radical NDP premier and the radicals in the federal Liberal cabinet are doing all that they can to keep these policies in place and to block pipelines from getting built.

Will the Prime Minister reverse all these Trudeau-era policies and make sure he shows that he is not just another wolf in sheep's clothing looking to kill our oil and gas industry?

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Madam Speaker, I am thankful for this opportunity. First and foremost, I congratulate you on your role as Assistant Deputy Speaker, as well as all the members who were elected in this 45th Parliament. I trust in your capabilities to diligently live up to your role as a non-partisan and be fair to members of all parties during the term of this Parliament. I can tell that so far you are doing great.

It is an honour and a privilege to become a member of Parliament, and I am humbled to be the first member of Parliament for the new riding of Edmonton Southeast. I want to thank all the residents of Edmonton Southeast who put their trust in the Conservative Party and in me. It was because of their trust and efforts that I won the seat for the Conservative Party, with one of the biggest mandates in the country. This is despite the fact that the Prime Minister himself spent half a day in my riding just before the election date. It shows that my riding was ready for a change and was ready to get the answers that the Liberals have failed to give in the last 10 years.

How can I thank the people of Edmonton for the support I got? Honestly, I cannot thank them enough in words, but I can definitely thank them by representing them in Parliament as their rigorous voice whenever and however it is needed and by making sure I hold the Liberal government accountable for its actions.

Edmonton Southeast is a diverse and ethnically rich riding, and I want to thank all the churches, synagogues, gurdwaras, temples, mosques and other religious congregations for extending their unwavering support to me. I also want to thank all my volunteers, the group captains, my nieces, my nephews, my three naughty yet wonderful kids and my lovely wife Mandeep for their tireless work and effort to make this dream come true. The work they did, day and night, was commendable.

I also want to extend a special thanks to my younger brother Chand, who I am lucky to have as my brother. I could not have done this without his organizational skills and foresightedness.

Moving forward, I want to talk seriously and bring to the floor some of the issues I heard about while door knocking, such as crime. I want to tell members about a young, hard-working Canadian in my riding named Harshandeep Singh. She was gunned down by a repeat offender on bail in the city of Edmonton. Another young Canadian was killed while at work by another person who was there.

Even earning money and running successful businesses in Edmonton and the rest of the country have become a curse and a nightmare. I personally know business owners who have received threats of extortion and ransom calls, and they are forced to live in hiding. From door manufacturing companies to realtors to restaurant owners, no one is safe.

I personally know families who were escorted by police out of Edmonton to live in a different place. If people do not pay money, bullets are fired at their houses and death threats are delivered to them and their family members and to their businesses. Newly built homes are set on fire if homeowners do not meet the demands of the criminals and pay them money. Cars are stolen in the GTA and Montreal and are found in Nigeria and South Africa, and the Canadian police and CBSA do not have any clue.

I urge the Liberal government to correct its mistakes by immediately repealing Bill C-5, which removed mandatory minimum penalties, and Bill C-75, which made bail easier, and bringing in stricter laws for repeat offenders and for violent crimes, such as human trafficking, hard drug trafficking, arson and extortion, so that successful Canadians can feel safe and enjoy the fruit of their hard-earned money.

I also want to talk about immigration. The immigration system has been broken in this country. This has had a direct impact on the health care system, housing and policing. Immigration needs to be based on quality and not quantity, yet at the same time, the government must stand in solidarity with international students and try to extend their visas as much as possible before providing visas to new immigrants.

Our first and foremost duty is to accommodate international students and people who are already in Canada, but that does not mean we should promote the bogus claims that refugees make after being in Canada and not being successful in getting permanent residency in this country. Refugee claims and pre-removal risk assessments have literally the same requirements to be successful, so why burden Canadians with added bureaucracy?

I have seen CBSA officers in my practice as a lawyer who have turned down LMIAs for not being genuine. If a CBSA officer is the ultimate decision-maker, why burden Canadians with Service Canada bureaucracy and why not give all the work permit powers to CBSA officers?

The next point I want to touch on is unleashing oil and gas. I have never seen such bigotry and hypocrisy at the hands of government. Alberta holds one of the largest oil and natural gas reserves, but the Liberals have failed to pass laws and legislation to build pipelines and to secure deals with global partners to unleash the energy sector of Alberta. Rather, the Liberals have passed legislation like Bill C-69, making sure that our oil and gas stay under the ground. What is even worse is that the Liberals have turned down building needed infrastructure and killed the LNG deal with Germany, a deal worth billions of dollars that could have generated hundreds and thousands of jobs.

The continuous denial and ignorance of Alberta's genuine demands have led to a strong feeling of separation. Believe me, it is not trivial; it is real this time. I am a strong believer in Canada and its unity, but the onus is now on the Liberal government if it wants Canada to stay together. If the Liberals want Canada to be together, then this is the prime time to unleash Alberta's oil and gas and make sure Alberta feels listened to and honoured. That is what unity and Confederation are anyway, is it not?

As for soaring house prices and affordability, the rising cost of houses for new Canadians in Edmonton has been inexplicable. I hear Liberals talk about aggressively building houses, but they are not saying whether Canadians get to own those houses or whether they are just playing into some sort of scheme.

I see the Speaker signalling that my time is up, but there are so many issues that I want to touch upon, like jobs. We need jobs in Edmonton. We need infrastructure in Edmonton. We need to make sure that oil and gas get out to market.

I want to thank all my constituents, my riding and my family. I will stand strong in Ottawa, and I will make sure that the Liberals are held accountable on jobs, the fight against crime, building pipelines and building more infrastructure.

[David McKenzie, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

Madam Speaker, what is most important right now is what the government plans to do with respect to the energy industry, which, as I have stated in this House, is the lifeblood of my community in Calgary Signal Hill. We do not need more empty promises. We need results. We need a commitment to repeal Bill C-69. We need a commitment to repeal Bill C-48. We need a scrapping of the production cap on oil and gas. Those are the issues that are of greatest importance in my riding. I would invite the member opposite to make that commitment today on behalf of his party.

[David McKenzie, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

Madam Speaker, it is my honour to rise today in this chamber to speak on behalf of my neighbours and fellow residents of Calgary Signal Hill. Others in this House have commented since the beginning of this 45th Parliament that politics is a team sport, and I for one would not have it any other way. The Conservative team in Calgary Signal Hill is one of the best in our country, and I am proud to be part of that team.

I am also grateful to all the individuals who volunteered their time and energy in the general election campaign, and I thank them today. I am thinking about Joanne Birce, an amazing volunteer in our community, who, together with Cynthia Williams, ran our campaign office; Adrian Smith, Stuart McConkey and Tim Wall, our sign crew; Steve McLeod, one of the sharpest minds in politics; Barb Shaw, Changping Shao, Bob MacDonald, Mark Moennich, Bonnie McGinnis, Carrie Wall, Rick Harland and others who gave hour after hour to knock on doors and do whatever needed to be done; and of course, Michael Smith, who kept it all on track and running smoothly. Jeff Sterzuk and Myron Tetreault were tremendously supportive as well, as were friends old and new who gave support in so many ways.

These volunteers gave of themselves with no reward other than the betterment of our country and perhaps an occasional cup of coffee or a Timbit. I am mindful today of their commitment and contributions, and I will remain mindful of these things as I strive to represent them and all residents of Calgary Signal Hill in this House to the very best of my abilities.

One does not venture into the challenging waters of politics without the solid support of family. I want to thank my partner in life, Michele, for her rock-solid support of my long-held desire to enter federal politics. Taking on this important role means many days and nights of being apart, but she has never wavered in her support. My two children, Kristen and Alex, have likewise encouraged me to start a new career when others much smarter than me are retiring from theirs. They have believed in me as I have believed in them, and I love them for it. My daughter, Kristen, is a young scientist presently completing her master's in biology, and Alex has recently started his career in finance. They are hard-working and passionate people, and I am so very proud of them. I also extend my thanks to Lianne for cheering me on and being a wonderful mother to our children.

During the election campaign that concluded a short five weeks ago, I heard from many people at their doorsteps of the expectation that I will be part of making our country better by working with all members of the House to obtain the best outcome for Canadians. A good idea is a good idea, regardless of which side of the House it arrives in, and members of this House need to focus on ensuring that the best ideas win the day. It is working: The best ideas the Liberals have right now all came from the Conservatives. I agree with my neighbours on the need to work together, and I pledge to keep my focus on what is best for them and what is best for Canadians.

Signal Hill is a shining example of the promise of Canada. In the election campaign, I met many proud Canadians who, because of their work in the energy industry, are living the Canadian dream. The energy industry is not just an employer; it is a means of advancement for families. While the Canadian energy sector is the lifeblood of my community, many are worried about their future under a Liberal government that told us one day not that long ago that it was done with building pipelines but then said the next day that it wants us to be an energy superpower.

For the last 10 years, Canada's energy sector has endured what my colleague from Calgary Heritage referred to a few years ago as a “systemic attack by a government indifferent to the consequences of its decisions.” When we consider that almost 90% of Canada's oil production comes from Alberta and Saskatchewan, it should surprise no one that these attacks have been taken as partisan bullying aimed at our western provinces. As a proud Canadian who loves this country from coast to coast to coast, that saddens me.

I have been in this House over the last number of days as assurances have been given that it is different now, but I am sure that one can forgive the people of Calgary Signal Hill for being skeptical of this sudden about-face from a Liberal government that killed energy east and northern gateway, that banned west coast oil shipments by tanker and that has put in place a regulatory framework for a new project review that our energy industry tells us is utterly unworkable.

Before members opposite rise to tell us that promises have been made and all will be well, perhaps they need to be reminded of some of the promises the Liberal government has made that simply were not kept.

In 2015, Justin Trudeau promised electoral reform; that did not happen.

In 2019, the Liberals promised they would criminalize elder abuse; that did not happen.

In 2019, the Liberals promised to establish a dedicated agency for defence procurement; that did not happen, and our forces continue to suffer today.

In 2021, the Liberals said that they would create a new federal hub to help Canadian businesses and entrepreneurs take advantage of trade agreements that Canada is party to; that did not happen.

In 2021, the Liberals promised a $4.5-billion Canadian mental health transfer to the provinces; it did not happen.

In 2022, the Liberals promised they would establish a permanent council of economic advisers to provide independent advice to government on long-term growth. Guess what. It did not happen.

When the Liberal government says today, “Don't worry, we promise to fix it”, residents of Calgary Signal Hill do worry. They do not understand why the Liberal government refuses to repeal Bill C-69, refuses to repeal Bill C-48 and refuses to scrap the production cap on oil and gas.

The Minister of Natural Resources recently spoke in Calgary, a prime opportunity to walk away from these three suffocating policies, but there was not a word. In fact, there seems to be an aversion to saying the word “pipeline” out loud in the Liberal government, even with thousands of kilometres of pipelines operating in Canada at this very minute, safely and responsibly, taking petroleum products from production to end users.

If a person knows somebody with a habit of over-promising and consistently under-delivering, that person eventually loses faith that they will say what they mean and mean what they say. Today, the answer is no; it is not enough to make more promises. It is not enough to say, “Don't worry, we will do this or we will do that”. My neighbours in Signal Hill require action and results, not empty promises.

As I conclude, I wish to take a moment to acknowledge the exemplary service of Ron Liepert, the prior MP for Calgary Signal Hill. After serving as press secretary to the late and great Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, Ron was elected to the Alberta legislature in 2004. Ron served three premiers over seven-plus years in that institution, acting successively as minister of education, minister of health and wellness, minister of energy and minister of finance. After time in the private sector, Ron was elected to the House with the class of 2015 and served the people of Calgary Signal Hill for just under 10 years. The former member is now focusing on his golf game full time, and he does so with the thanks and appreciation of his friends and neighbours in the riding that we share. He has been an outstanding example of public service at its best. The residents of Calgary Signal Hill join me in thanking Ron Liepert.

Finally, I want to share the contents of a letter I just received from a resident of Calgary Signal Hill. Lily writes:

My name is Lily. I am nine years old. I noticed that you won the election in my riding. Congratulations. I wanted to ask you to make good, kind and fair decisions for us. Thank you.

These words perfectly lay out the work ahead for the House and the expectation that all Canadians hold for us as parliamentarians.

Oil and Gas Industry

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that is the type of non-answer that we have become accustomed to from the Liberals. Grand gestures, meetings and press conferences will not things done, even though the Prime Minister seems to believe that is the case.

What would move things forward, of course, is a plan, such as a plan to scrap Bill C-69, the no new pipelines act; a plan to scrap Bill C-48; or a plan to scrap the job-killing oil and gas cap, which exists. On the industrial carbon tax, let us get rid of that as well.

Is the Prime Minister simply turning a blind eye to these things, or does he just not know how to get things done?

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, although this is not my first intervention in this Parliament, this is the first opportunity I have had to take a moment to thank the voters of Calgary Crowfoot. I am getting used to the riding name change. Many riding names have changed, but I thank the voters of Calgary Crowfoot for sending me to this place for the fourth time in nine and a half years.

I want to thank my opponents in the election for putting their names forward. Without choice and without options for people to vote for, there is no democracy, so I thank all participants in this election.

I would like to thank the volunteers in Calgary Crowfoot, the amazing group of volunteers who helped us get out to 25,000-odd doors, put up thousands of signs and make an argument to voters for a change of government.

I would also like to thank, of course, my loving family: my wife Kim, my daughters Katie, Jessica and Meaghan, and my mum Marnie Kelly. My father Duane Kelly passed away, sadly, only a few months before the election.

I would like to congratulate all members of Parliament on their election, in particular the new MPs. There are many new MPs in this Parliament, and I look forward to meeting them and getting to know who everybody is.

I also congratulate the new cabinet and the new Prime Minister. They have tremendous work to do. It is important to me as a Canadian and to the people who sent me here that Canada prospers and does well and that we have competent, prudent and proper public administration and stewardship of public resources. I wish the government the best in doing so.

I will also say that I am part of a government in waiting, and we are ready to step up and form a government should this government fall. We will demand accountability. We will demand competence and execution. We will be here to scrutinize the laws the Liberals propose and the administration of the government in general. That is what we are here to do. That is what all members of Parliament do. Members do not even need to be in the opposition benches to do that. I challenge the backbenches on the government side to do their jobs as legislators and demand accountability from the government and their own party. That is their job. It is not just their job to cheerlead for the front bench. I hope they will take seriously their role in holding the government to account, as all parliamentarians should.

Here we are in June 2025, and the same government has been in power for nine and a half years. It has added half a trillion dollars to the national debt and brought in a structural deficit. It has no plan for a balanced budget in sight. We are enduring a housing crisis wherein mortgage payments and rent have more than doubled on its watch. We have seen a sense of hopelessness creep in among younger people, who believe that they will never have a path to home ownership other than through inheritance or the sharing of real estate equity from their family. Crime in every category has gone up. We have a drug overdose crisis.

As for the military, the most basic core function of government is national security and protecting Canadians, and tanks are in extremely short supply and falling apart. We have ships rusting out and jets wearing out, with recruitment, retention and housing in crisis. We have gaps in domain awareness in the Arctic and a RADARSAT system that is going to reach its end of life without a replacement. Procurement is in a state of disaster. We cannot even procure, build and supply basics like artillery shells. The recently retired chief of the defence staff has said that there has not been an acute need for military preparedness since the end of the Second World War and we are not there.

We have the threat of Trump to deal with, and the tariffs and all that his administration has said it may do. However, perhaps the most important statistic that I can point to is the per-capita GDP in Canada. Over the last 10 years, its growth was the lowest in the OECD. In fact, it was not growth at all. Canadians are no better off now than they were 10 years ago. This is a lost Liberal decade.

Where were we 10 years ago? When the Liberal government came to power, it inherited a balanced budget, affordable homes that working people could buy, a northern gateway pipeline that was conditionally approved and a Trans Mountain pipeline that was going to be built with private money, not with taxpayers' money. The energy east project was ready to be proposed. The F-35 were ready for contract and ready to be procured. Crime was at the lowest on record. This was the Canada that the government came into power with, and this is where we have been taken over the last 10 years.

It is not something that just randomly happened. There were concrete actions by the government all the way along that brought us here. They brought in the culture of “no”. They brought in new regulations and laws, like Bill C-69 and Bill C-48, that make it impossible to get energy infrastructure projects built. That was by design. This was not even just a mistake on the part of the government.

Furthermore, there is no end in sight. The Liberals have brought in, and we have seen it creeping in, a culture of corporate welfare where connected insiders benefit and where Liberal insiders benefit. We saw over that time period the Liberals cancel the F-35s. They came in and said that they were not going to procure them at all and that they were going to have a separate procurement process. They dithered and wasted time while our need for this aircraft carried on. We would already have the F-35s if they had simply procured them when they took office. These are the things that have happened over the last 10 years.

The Speech from the Throne contains no concrete plan. There is no budget that would signal a plan or even tell Canadians and be honest about where we are financially, what our fiscal plan is and what the deficit will be. The Liberals have said some things that are encouraging to many. They have taken many ideas from the Conservative benches and the Conservative campaign. If someone puts a tax cut in front of me, I will vote for it. If someone proposes to eliminate a regulation that is destroying the job opportunities in my riding, I will support it. However, what I will not support is a Speech from the Throne that gives vague promises without any type of a clear road map, while the Liberals simultaneously table a set of estimates that show ballooning public expenditures for consultants, of all things. This is all while the Liberals have allowed the public service to grow enormously during their time while service to Canadians declines.

Copying our ideas is the most sincere form of flattery, and we would be prepared to accept it as Conservatives, but the government is not a new government. It has a different Prime Minister, but it has the same people in the front benches, who, for the last 10 years, have criticized Conservatives. When I look at Hansard, I can see some of the things that members of the front benches said to me and other members when we proposed important ideas, like axing the tax, which is something they were all too quick to adopt in the election. As such, I have doubts about the ability of the government, with the same group of people in the front benches, to execute on improving life for Canadians.

Natural Resources

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the heritage minister must know that Leduc No. 1 is a Parks Canada national historic site. That is the well where oil first gushed out of the ground in Canada and triggered the Canadian oil boom. The heritage minister should be proud of that.

Earlier, the Minister of Finance talked about a hydroelectric project. Is he aware that Bill C-69 gives the federal government veto power over hydroelectric projects?

How can Canada reach its full potential if the federal government does not mind its own business?

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is the Liberal government's anti-energy policies that are blocking critical energy projects in this country. Bill C-69, the no new pipelines law; Bill C-48, the shipping ban; the job-killing oil and gas cap; and the industrial carbon tax are all driving away investment and killing Canadian energy development.

If the Prime Minister is serious about his so-called “build, baby, build”, will the Liberal government repeal its anti-energy agenda to get vital energy projects built?

Canadian Energy Sector

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to talk out of both sides of his mouth when it comes to Canadian energy. He says he wants Canada to be an energy superpower, but then says it can only be done with national consensus. He says he wants to green-light projects, but then presents an approval process of a minimum of two years. He says he wants provinces to present a list of ready-to-go projects, but then he came out of yesterday's meeting with no list. How sad is it that the premiers were just happy to meet with an adult after 10 years of the last guy, but he is no more serious when it comes to taking the necessary steps to unleash our energy sector?

If the Prime Minister is really committed to national unity and wants to make us the economic engine of the G7, he should start with repealing a decade of anti-energy laws Bill C-69 and Bill C-48, the production cap and the industrial carbon tax. He needs to get rid of them.