Environment Committee on March 27th, 2023

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

As you know, the Canada Energy Regulator falls under Minister Wilkinson, so Natural Resources. I don't have the data you're referring to in front of me.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

My question was a straight-up yes or no, because you're the Minister of the Environment. Is oil coming from Saudi Arabia and Nigeria subject to the same rigorous regulations on upstream and downstream emissions as oil coming from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

I don't know by heart the regulations, or legislation, in Saudi Arabia. I would imagine that Canada's are more stringent, but I don't have any material to compare there.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

The rules that Canada applies to oil coming from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador would be more strict than the rules Canada applies to oil coming from Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. Canada's own rules.... We treat our oil more toughly than we treat foreign oil coming over here. Very clearly, I think the answer to that is yes.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

As you can imagine, we can't impose....It's very difficult to impose our bodies of laws and regulations on other nations, just like we would find it difficult—

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

I agree.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

—for other nations to impose theirs.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

I'm going to move on.

On refined petroleum products, I'm looking at the same website. In 2021, the total cost of imports was $16.8 billion, up 50% from the year before. The Russian Federation supplied 2.4% of those imports, for a total of over $400 million in 2021.

Was that oil coming from Russia subject to the same rigorous regulations on upstream and downstream emissions as oil coming from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

If we want to compare oil imports, I would be happy to provide the committee with some data that shows that under the previous government, the importation of oil from other countries was 50% higher than what it is today, and I could provide—

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

To what level are you able, as Minister of the Environment—

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Excuse me. I would like the Q and A to be a little more orderly, but go ahead, Mr. Lake.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

To be clear, he can table anything he wants after the fact, but he's not answering the question. To what level does the minister have access to information regarding emissions in Russia and the regulations around emissions?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Emissions are available through inventories that are submitted to the United Nations.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Does the minister trust whatever information would be coming from Russia on its upstream and downstream emissions?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

We rely on international agencies like the UNFCCC or the IPCC for this information.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

I'm sure Russia has a great record in terms of its reporting to international agencies.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

As you know, Canada doesn't import any more Russian oil.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

It was over $400 million in refined petroleum products in 2021.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

But we don't any more.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Revenues from oil and gas in Canada fund important things, like our health care services and education systems. What does the minister's research show regarding the revenues generated by Russian oil sold to Canada? What might they have funded in 2021?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

As you know, Canada doesn't import any more Russian oil.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Could it have been foreseen, though, that Russia might have used the revenues from the sale of oil to Canada over the last seven years, say, for something nefarious like the war in Ukraine right now?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

As you're probably aware, under the previous government, the import of oil was about 50% higher than it is today, including from countries like Russia.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

To be fair, the Liberal government has been in power for almost eight years. We're talking about 2021 numbers, so there were many years to make decisions on this. Does the minister perhaps regret rules that benefited foreign oil from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and other countries over Canadian oil based in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

We cut oil imports. Our government cut oil imports by about 50% compared to the previous government. That tells you how much we care about this, which is much more than the previous government.