Evidence of meeting #100 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was change.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Again, I would suggest you ask this question of the Minister of Finance about this project and the financing of this project.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
That answer makes me think that deep down, you believe that it was a mistake to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline, but you're not willing or you don't have the courage to say it. This is what we've seen from—
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
This is what we've seen from your government time and time again. You might believe in climate change, but you're not willing to take the action required.
This government has continued to invest billions of dollars in carbon capture and storage, which maybe would be fine if the money were going just to direct air capture projects for hard-to-reduce emissions like steel and cement, but you're handing that money to big oil and gas companies that are making record profits.
Why would you not exclude them from the carbon capture and storage tax breaks so that those billions of dollars could be invested in climate solutions and those companies that have been fuelling the climate crisis could pay to clean up their own pollution?
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
I disagree with the characterization of your question again. We've done more—and you've heard that from many environmental leaders in this country, who've recognized publicly that we've done more—than any other government to fight climate change—
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Environmental leaders have been calling on you to stop funding carbon capture and storage, to stop handing out billions of dollars—
Liberal
Adam van Koeverden Liberal Milton, ON
I believe it's a convention to allow the minister to use exactly the amount of time at least as the question takes—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
We don't actually function that way in this committee. It's a little more freewheeling—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Excuse me.
We don't actually function that way in this committee. It's a little more freewheeling.
I stopped the clock. Where were we? Was the minister answering?
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
I was going to answer, with your permission, Mr. Chair.
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Someone who used to advise your party, as well as other NDP parties in this country, has said in a public interview that.... When asked what people would remember of our government, he said that it's the first government to ever take climate change seriously in the history of Canada. This is someone who used to work for the NDP, not someone who worked for the Liberals.
I think a lot of people out there see that we're doing more than anyone has ever done to fight climate change, but you and I would agree that we need to do more. We could certainly agree on that.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
I would hope that we could find agreement that we want to stop handing out billions of dollars to profitable oil and gas companies, but I haven't heard that agreement from you or from your party. Unfortunately, carbon capture and storage is just another giveaway to big oil and gas, much like buying a pipeline, which now costs taxpayers $34 billion. Those billions of dollars should be going into real climate solutions.
I do want to ask you—
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
A few weeks ago, I met with the leader of the company that's doing direct air capture. The tax credits for carbon capture and storage are not industry-specific—
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
If you'd left it to them, if you'd excluded oil and gas from receiving this, great, but you didn't. You decided to include oil and gas companies in this tax credit. That was a choice. It is a choice by a government that continues to funnel—
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
—because we need to decarbonize every sector of our economy—
Liberal
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
A fossil fuel subsidy as defined by the World Trade Organization is money from government going to a specific sector which gives that sector advantage over others from a financial or economic point of view. That's not what we're doing with carbon capture and storage. It's open to every sector where this technology could be applied: cement, steel, aluminum, electricity production, direct air capture and, yes, also oil and gas.
Liberal
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
Thank you, Chair.
Minister, you mentioned the cost of living. Seven out of 10 provinces oppose your government's plan to increase the carbon tax by 23%. Seventy per cent of all Canadians oppose your government's plan to increase the carbon tax by 23%. Do you still plan to hike the carbon tax on April 1, yes or no?