Evidence of meeting #25 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was vehicles.
A recording is available from Parliament.
February 12th, 2026 / 11:45 a.m.
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
It's all about the introduction of plastics to the environment. Most of that happens in Asia.
I still don't have an answer to the question, though. Why is it okay for Canada to export these materials for consumer use in other countries but we can't use them here at home?
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
We are domestically doing what we can to protect our own environment.
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
Then why enable other countries to pursue the use of a toxic product?
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
My hope is that through global plastics treaties we're actually going to move the world away from—
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
Then why not stop exporting? That would contribute to your goals.
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
First, common goals for all Canadians are to not have plastics washing up on our shores and to not have them in our green spaces.
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
You're telling me that it's okay for plastic to fall into or be dumped into Milk River in Montana and flow into Alberta. That's okay, because it's okay to export it to the United States.
It still shows up on our shores. I'm trying to understand the hypocrisy of the changes.
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
I feel that the hypocrisy is in having the Conservatives finally turn around and cheer that we actually have taken action on reducing plastic waste.
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
I would hope that you would start cheering, sir, because I think it's important for us.
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
Let's change topics here a little bit.
Do you believe that Canada should be an energy superpower?
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
The reason I ask is that I have heard directly from Canadians and energy leaders, and I have read recent reports in The Globe and Mail suggesting that while your government talks about Canada being an energy superpower, its policies are sending very mixed signals to investors. We're still not seeing investment in energy industries as required to achieve that. We still don't see pipelines to all three coasts needed to achieve that aim.
What are you doing to enable that?
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
In this budget implementation act, we have a clean electricity ITC that actually will be—
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
The scalability of clean electricity is not anywhere close to the opportunities in nuclear and in oil and gas.
In order to truly become an energy superpower—
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
What are you doing for the easiest, best, lowest-hanging fruit?
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
It's so interesting, though, because the clean manufacturing tax credit, I believe, does help nuclear. Our major projects include the Darlington nuclear plant.
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
We have also put in place, through our Major Projects Office's referrals, clean electricity through the wind west project.
These are opportunities. Offshore wind is a huge opportunity for our country, so we are absolutely able to be an energy—
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
That's not exportable power, though. That's not the definition of an energy superpower. It is exportable power—
Liberal
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
I think the Atlantic provinces would disagree with you on that.
