Environment Committee on May 9th, 2024

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Thank you very much. We're out of time.

I want to thank the commissioner again for coming to see us. He always leaves us with a deeper understanding of the challenges we face on the environmental front.

Thank you again, Commissioner. We look forward to seeing you soon enough.

Before we break, colleagues, I want to give you an update on the meeting we're having with oil company CEOs. I'm pleased to report that we can get four of the five on the same date, which, from an organizational point of view, has benefits. The only CEO who cannot come on June 6 is the CEO of Enbridge. It's for scheduling reasons. They don't object to appearing. They could send somebody from the next level down to appear, in which case we'd have five out of five in one meeting. Otherwise, we would have to have Enbridge come by themselves for an hour some other time, which would probably eat into other things we're doing.

Are we all right with having a vice-president or whomever come on behalf of Enbridge and join the four CEOs of oil companies?

I'll go to Ms. Collins because it's her motion.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Can I reserve judgment? Can we decide that we're going forward with the four on the date that we can secure them on, and come back after just a bit of time to reflect on the fifth?

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I'll ask the question again at the next meeting, but the advantage is that we could get this done in two hours. Otherwise, we do two hours, and another hour some other time for Enbridge. I don't know when we can get them, and so on.

I'll ask the question again at the next meeting. We'll all have had a chance to think about it, I guess.

Go ahead, Mr. Deltell.

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

As I remember, the initial motion called for inviting five CEOs to a single meeting, didn't it?

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Yes.

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

That single meeting was to last two hours, wasn't it?

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Yes, it was supposed to take at least two hours.

So far, four out of the five CEOs can attend the meeting on June 6. Enbridge is the only one that can't send its CEO, who will be detained by a board meeting that day, or something like that. However, Enbridge could send a senior executive instead.

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

Did you say a senior executive? With all due respect to that spokesperson, we would need at least a first vice-president.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Yes. Incidentally, I spoke to an Enbridge representative and emphasized that the committee would want someone who's closely involved in the company's operations, not a public relations officer.

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

Then I agree.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The Conservatives agree, and the Bloc Québécois agrees as well.

Mr. van Koeverden, go ahead.

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Milton, ON]

We agree, tentatively. As Mr. Deltell said, it would be of the utmost importance that we not just hear “government relations speak” but that we get somebody who is accountable.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

That's what I've asked for.

Ms. Collins, everyone seems to agree that if we get somebody who's—

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

A vice-president, and not a PR person—

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

No, we don't want a press secretary.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

I'm open to this. Just to confirm—

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

We have a lot of respect for press secretaries, but in this case, we want to hear from somebody who's in operations.

Go ahead, Ms. Collins.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Just to confirm, from the previous correspondence, I understood that Imperial Oil Limited originally had said that it was only available on June 4, along with Enbridge.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

It's all changed.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

I just wanted to clarify that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Everybody's coming on June 6.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Enbridge is, as well, if we can agree to have someone other than the president, but someone who is a top decision-maker.

Does that sound good?

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

That sounds reasonable.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

That's great. We have a plan.