Evidence of meeting #114 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was see.
A recording is available from Parliament.
8:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
Be very quick, because I am going to stop it now. I was being very generous to make sure people had a chance before they left.
8:45 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Canadians have a right to know what's going on here. The officials are leaving us now. We're going to spend hours yet going through this without any officials being able to provide us with further advice. It's a sad commentary on this Liberal government that talked so big about transparency and openness and has been the most secretive government we've ever seen.
8:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
Okay. I was generous. I'm going to stop it now, because obviously we're not using the generosity in the way I intended. We're going back to moving on.
8:45 p.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I have a question for the officials.
Excuse me. Don't colour me with the—
8:45 p.m.
Liberal
8:45 p.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
A major issue that has arisen in Alberta has been over who has the responsibility to authorize and export power lines. There's been a game that has gone on such that in the province of Alberta we do pieces of it, and then there's one last piece that goes as far as the border. There actually has been litigation over it. Some of you are probably aware that it should have been the National Energy Board rather than a local authority.
Can you tell me whether in this bill we are clarifying that, when the intent is to build a facility in order to enable the export of electricity? Is that going to be under the ambit of the CER now?
8:45 p.m.
Director General, Petroleum Resources Branch, Department of Natural Resources
Under the proposed legislation, as is the case today, the energy regulator would have a mandate for interprovincial, international—
8:45 p.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Not interprovincial, I'm specifically talking about international.
8:45 p.m.
Director General, Petroleum Resources Branch, Department of Natural Resources
—power lines as well as the export and import of commodities.
8:45 p.m.
NDP
8:45 p.m.
Director General, Petroleum Resources Branch, Department of Natural Resources
It is within the mandate of this organization, yes.
8:50 p.m.
NDP
8:50 p.m.
Director General, Petroleum Resources Branch, Department of Natural Resources
Under the current framework, the board does have responsibility for the export of electricity—
8:50 p.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
And did not seize that jurisdiction. Then, what has changed to give confidence to Albertans that the CER will be seized of its responsibility to review a power line where there is an intent to export electricity? Is there something in this bill that is going to give assurance? You say it was with the NEB, but they are not seized of that jurisdiction. Is there something in this bill that I can find to give people assurance that this time the federal authority will do that review?
8:50 p.m.
Director General, Petroleum Resources Branch, Department of Natural Resources
The primary interest going forward in this overall framework will be the project list, the designated project list, which will identify those projects that have key impact in areas of federal jurisdiction. Throughout the consultations currently under way, consideration will be given to whether some of these activities merit a full federal review or whether they will continue to be assessed primarily under provincial jurisdiction.
8:50 p.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
You're saying it's the project list that's going to be the determinant.
8:50 p.m.
Director General, Petroleum Resources Branch, Department of Natural Resources
It would be the primary determinant as to whether—
8:50 p.m.
NDP
8:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
The purpose of my giving a little bit of extra time was to see if you needed any clarity on the ones that got added to the list before you had time to call the experts.
We're going to move on now. We're going to move back to the work we're doing.
Mr. Arnold, is it something about any of these new ones, or is it something else?
8:50 p.m.
Conservative
8:50 p.m.
Conservative
