Evidence of meeting #52 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 process.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
The conditions document.... The project must be permitted.
Peter, let me turn that over to you, maybe, so that you can be very clear about that.
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
That's okay. I have a bunch more things that I want to get at quickly. We're about halfway through the time already.
I wanted to get some clarity on the chicken-and-egg circumstance with cabinet and the Prime Minister's Office versus Major Projects Office pre-approval...getting approvals from the Prime Minister's Office or their sanctioning something ahead of time. Where does it leave you? Does it leave you in an untenable situation?
However, that's okay. The cabinet's authority to veto is quite clear.
The Prime Minister's own announcement says, and you said earlier in your remarks, that they've been working on Roberts Bank. Roberts Bank work has been under way for 10 years or so. Is your office planning to designate that as a national interest project?
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
Four other projects are currently being considered for listing. Roberts Bank is one of them. We're currently working on Roberts Bank to determine whether it should come under our act to make a recommendation.
Conservative
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
If Roberts Bank doesn't proceed through the process, if it doesn't get approval, if it doesn't get the conditions document from—
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
Roberts Bank and Pacific link terminal are two different projects. They're two independent projects.
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
I understand that clearly, but if there's no port, then there's no pipeline.
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
Where do we go with the pipeline? Should we reroute it to Prince Rupert?
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
No, no. Effectively, there is a port there already. There are a causeway and a port already. The next piece of land goes in front of the current port. The oil terminal will be in the same vicinity, but you could have one without the other.
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
Yes. You could have one without the other.
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
Therefore, Roberts Bank development is not required at all for the Pacific link to happen.
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
Okay. Fantastic. That clarifies a lot.
At the Toronto investment summit, CPP Investments and Brookfield, Prime Minister Carney's former employer, announced a $50-billion investment fund. Has your office brought any projects to this fund, and has Brookfield committed a single dollar to them?
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
Are any of the employees seconded from private industry to the Major Projects Office from Brookfield?
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shannon Miedema
Thank you, Mr. Bexte.
Mr. St‑Pierre, you have the floor for five minutes.
Liberal
Eric St-Pierre Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Thank you.
Ms. Farrell, recently $100 million was allocated by the federal government towards Nova Scotia's wind west project. A lot of this is supporting collection of data on wind, ocean and sea floor construction. In one minute, can you provide this committee with an update on where the MPO is with regard to wind west?
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
Yes. Wind west is a strategy under the MPO. Currently, the strategy says you have to figure out if you have a wind resource. If there's a wind resource and there becomes a project, that project would be referred to us. Currently, there's no project referred to us, so we're waiting.
Liberal
Eric St-Pierre Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Thank you.
How does the Building Canada Act take environmental considerations into account? I'm specifically curious about environmental standards and protections that are upheld with regard to Bill C-39.
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
With regard to Bill C-39...? I'm not sure what you mean.