Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to welcome all the witnesses to the committee.
I'm going to talk about a measure that is long overdue—the emissions cap. The Bloc Québécois is in favour of an emissions cap on the oil and gas sector, but we disagree with the Prime Minister's statement at the United Nations this fall that Canada was the first country to do so. The fact is that it has yet to set a cap on greenhouse gas emissions.
In his report, the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development says that the measure was delayed. It was proposed in 2021 and the regulatory framework was to be completed in early 2023. However, the regulatory framework was not published until December 2023. The proposed regulations were originally planned for December 2023 but have not yet been published, and the final regulations are expected in 2025.
The Bloc Québécois agrees with capping emissions, but we think the implementation is taking too long. It makes no sense. The commissioner's report finally confirms what the Bloc Québécois has been saying: The process is much too long. One wonders just what is going on.
Minister, in the regulations you published, the compliance period for oil companies is set for 2030–2032. However, the overall reduction target of 40% to 45% for Canada is for 2030. How can oil companies help achieve this overall target of 40% to 45% when they have up to 2032 to comply?