Environment Committee on March 12th, 2026

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

When you say legislation, you're not referring to government legislation, so I want to be very clear about that from the first point. I will say on the—

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

[Inaudible—Editor] legislation to allow our oil and gas to move off our west coast, which it certainly cannot do due to the tanker ban? Do you not plan on acting on that?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

That is not government legislation that we put forward. We have been very clear, and continue to be clear, that if we're talking about moving forward with any pipeline, it will have to be with the agreement of the Province of British Columbia and first nations.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Thank you, Minister Dabrusin.

The floor is yours, Mr. St-Pierre, for six minutes.

[Eric St-Pierre, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Thank you.

Thank you, Minister, for sharing your time with us again. You've been very generous with this committee.

Recently, probably over the last week, the Canadian Climate Institute issued an analysis that looked at the cost of industrial carbon pricing. Their analysis indicated that roughly the cost of a Timbit from Tim Hortons would be attributed to the oil and gas sector. I'm a big fan of my double-doubles from Tim Hortons, and it's very enticing that industrial carbon pricing will be quite inexpensive.

Maybe a question for you, Minister, is this: Can you comment on this recent analysis and why industrial carbon pricing has a minimal impact on Canada's competitiveness?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Thank you for that question, and thank you for the shout-out to all of our Timbit-eating ways, which is an important part of my everyday, too.

Industrial carbon pricing, as the studies show, adds zero additional costs to the production of food. I keep repeating that, because I think it's very important to be clear with Canadians about that.

The other part about why industrial carbon pricing is so important is that it creates the incentives for industry. We hear time and time again from industry that they need that certainty, and they do look at it as creating the incentives necessary for innovation.

We hear that from industry. For example, the Cement Association has come out in favour. Frankly, at previous committee hearings, the oil and gas industry came out in favour of industrial carbon pricing. It's something that works to create the certainty that industry needs, and it does it in a way that actually creates incentives for innovation.

I will add one last piece to that, if I may, which is that it's not just about the innovation here at home. It's also about access to markets around the world. We're in a moment where we're looking for trade diversification. We know we need to do that. When we look at markets like the U.K. and the European Union, they're looking at the carbon load of products coming in by putting in place carbon border adjustments. If we don't have an industrial carbon price, that puts us at a disadvantage for accessing those markets.

Finally, out of our top 10 trading partners after the United States, they are all putting in place measures regarding carbon and pricing carbon. This is something about how we position ourselves for the global economy and how we create the innovation here at home. It's very much a central part of how we make Canada more competitive.

[Eric St-Pierre, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Thank you.

I'll ask my final questions in French, if I may.

You talked about Canada's competitiveness, and there was recently an announcement about the new automotive strategy. Can you talk briefly about that automotive strategy? How will it help reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Thank you.

Personally, what I find really important when talking about the automotive strategy is that it's a great example of how we can have an industrial strategy that's also an environmental strategy. It shows how both can be done at the same time.

As a member from Ontario, I know how important a strong automotive sector is for my province. The same applies to Quebec, where there are many automotive parts manufacturers.

If we have a robust industry to build the vehicles of the future, mainly electric vehicles, it gives Canada a strong position in the market and improves our competitiveness as an economy overall.

We know that in Europe in December, for the first time, electric vehicle sales surpassed gas-powered vehicle sales.

We also know that, around the world, one in four new vehicles sold this year will be electric.

I prefer to have these jobs created here, in Canada. This shows that our approach is focused not only on strategies to create good jobs here—often unionized jobs—but also on the environment. This is how we'll ensure that Canada's economy remains competitive going into the future.

[Eric St-Pierre, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Thank you.

I have one last question for you.

I represent the riding of Honoré‑Mercier, east of Montreal. I'd say that public transit is a major concern for the residents of Honoré‑Mercier. We are just north of Laval, and Terrebonne is nearby. Everyone's talking about the Alto project. It literally takes an hour and a half to go from Honoré‑Mercier to downtown Montreal. We're hearing a lot of good things about Alto.

In 30 seconds, can you tell us about the positive impact of a project like Alto for residents of Honoré-Mercier, Quebec and Canada?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

I think that, day in and day out, people think about how they can get around more quickly and easily, while reducing their carbon footprint. The Alto high-speed train is really something important for Quebeckers and Ontarians.

The train will serve a proposed corridor in which about 40% of Canadians live. It will provide them with an opportunity to get around quickly with a lower carbon load. I think it's a more comfortable mode of transportation when you consider all the steps involved in taking a plane. This train will give people another choice, and I think people like having a choice. It will give us more options to get from one place to another, and I think it's really a wonderful opportunity, not only once the project is finished, but also for the jobs that will be created to build it. This is a wonderful opportunity to create jobs, including once the project is completed.

It's something that can be looked at—

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Excuse me for interrupting, Minister. I was so happy with your response because Mr. St‑Pierre's question was also about Laval. That's my riding, so I really wanted to hear what you had to say. Sorry for the confusion.

Mr. Bonin now has the floor for six minutes.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Thank you. Mr. Chair.

Minister, you recently presented an agreement with Alberta on environmental assessments. You talk a lot about the “one project, one review” approach. Are you prepared to have a similar agreement with Quebec to ensure that Quebec conducts assessments in Quebec?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

I'd be very happy to talk with Quebec. As we've said, we're prepared to work with all the provinces to reach agreements based on the “one project, one review” approach.

What do we do with these agreements? It's very clear: What falls under federal jurisdiction remains under federal jurisdiction, and what falls under provincial jurisdiction remains under provincial jurisdiction. This simplifies things for project proponents.

I always use my personal example. As the mother of a child who went to school in the public system, there were a lot of forms to fill out with the same information. What we're trying to do is make things easier.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

You're prepared to have the same kind of agreement in Quebec as in Alberta. Exactly the same format.

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Yes, absolutely.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Thank you.

Right now, the Canadian Impact Assessment Agency is studying a liquefied natural gas project. It's meeting with the proponent from Marinvest, among others. Journalists have reported that the agency is providing advice, support and the names of indigenous communities to simplify and support the investment.

Is it common practice for the agency to help oil and gas project proponents in private, before a project is even submitted or people are aware of it?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

What we do each time is answer questions. In that way, people have the right information to decide whether or not to move forward with a project. Right now, that project is hypothetical. The project has not been submitted.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Have you met with the representatives of Marinvest?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

No, I haven't met with them.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Has your office met with the representatives of Marinvest?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

What I'm saying is that I haven't met with its representatives. It's only a hypothetical project at the moment.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Has your office or your staff met with people from Marinvest?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

I don't think so.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Do you not know, or is the answer no?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

I think the answer is no.

I also want to say that we meet with many people who have ideas about what they want to do. It doesn't mean anything if we haven't been presented with a final project proposal.