It will be some time before our reliance on oil ends. Let us recall that, last year, in Quebec alone, 18 billion litres of oil were consumerd. That made the front page of Le Devoir, with the shocking headline that Quebec was in a state of “enegy inebriation”. As long as we still need oil, we would rather use oil from Canada, since it is ours.
Yet we need to be very sure that oil operations are conducted properly. The tragedy at the Kearl site is a serious warning to us all. We have to make sure that does not happen again. If it were to happen again, we have to be able to take appropriate action.
Tests must be conducted on a regular basis. I am not referring to the tests done every morning or 10 times a day; regular testing is needed. There could be surprise water quality tests near oil extraction sites, which is used by all Canadians and by other countries. This is all well and good, but we still need to make sure the water quality is good.
Mr. Pushor, as the president of Alberta's energy regulator, can you tell us today whether water tests are done in the wells near oil extraction sites in Canada?