Evidence of meeting #7 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 project.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Ellis Ross Conservative Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
My follow-up question is this: Phase one of LNG Canada, emissions-wise, is approved. Is your office doing any work in terms of emissions for phase two? Is there approval needed from either your office or maybe the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada for phase two, emissions-wise?
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
There is no requirement for additional work from the Impact Assessment Agency. We are working with LNG phase two to assess the implications of the emissions to make sure there is certainty around what they need to make their final investment decision.
Conservative
Ellis Ross Conservative Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Thank you.
My colleague asked a question about the Major Projects Office exempting certain projects from the tanker ban, which is Bill C-48, and you said that there's no automatic exemption. Am I to infer that there is no automatic exemption, but there should be a process, a non-automatic process, to bypass Bill C-48 if a project is deemed to be in the national interest?
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
Mr. Labonté, do you want to take that again?
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Natural Resources
Let me start and try.
Again, theoretical projects are hard to provide clear answers on because there's a lack of specifics about things like where projects go and what routes they use. When a project is considered for designation under the act, there's consultation about the project with indigenous communities that may be impacted, and then there's an assessment with all of the expertise in the federal regulatory system to assess the conditions that are necessary from a regulatory point of view and can be consolidated together to enable a project to have a level of certainty. This is the process used for the acts that the federal government—
Conservative
Ellis Ross Conservative Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I understand, so typically I'm going to say that, based on the existing legislation and regulations, there is no opportunity either through the Major Projects Office or the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada for the exemption for Bill C-48 on the west coast of B.C.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Angelo Iacono
Thank you very much. Time is up.
Mr. St‑Pierre, you have the floor for five minutes.
Liberal
Eric St-Pierre Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Since this is a study on greenhouse gas emissions, I would like to return to the issue of oil and gas emissions.
Mr. Timlin, what public policies are most effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas sector?
Vice President, System Operations, Canadian Energy Regulator
The CER doesn't set policy, so that wouldn't really be a question that we would be able to advise on. This is something that would be best left for our colleagues at Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Bloc
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Chair, the witness's remarks could not be interpreted because of poor sound quality.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Angelo Iacono
Thank you, Mr. Bonin.
Mr. Timlin, we're having difficulty with translation. Is there someone else on your team who can respond in your place?
Vice President, System Operations, Canadian Energy Regulator
We did do a sound test yesterday, but I will turn it over to our chief environment officer, Sean Maher.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Angelo Iacono
I'm sorry about that, but we're having difficulty in getting the translation through.
Vice President, System Operations, Canadian Energy Regulator
Mr. Maher, go ahead, please.
Sean Maher Professional Leader, Environment, Canadian Energy Regulator
Thank you. I'm happy to answer the question.
The CER doesn't really have a policy role. We don't advise on policy. As Mr. Timlin was saying, that would really be best placed with our colleagues at Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Liberal
Eric St-Pierre Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Maybe I'll follow up with a question for you.
Is the CER tracking actual versus expected adoption of low-carbon technologies such as CCUS, power storage or electric vehicles? What trends are emerging, and which technologies are most likely to develop based on existing trends?
Chief Economist, Canadian Energy Regulator
Maybe I can take that question.
Our work, in addition to the regulatory side, as Mr. Timlin mentioned at the opening, includes an energy information function. As part of that, we look at what's happening in technologies in real time and we also, as part of our Canada's energy future series, look ahead out to 2050 at different scenarios and how the energy picture might evolve in Canada over that time.
What we see depends a great deal on the scenario. In all of the scenarios, we see increasing electrification, growth in renewables and a general decarbonization of the electricity grid, but the degree to which that happens varies significantly across those scenarios. I'd be happy to elaborate more, but I'm mindful of time. If the member would like me to keep going, I'll pause for a moment.
Liberal
Eric St-Pierre Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Thank you.
Ms. Farrell, I'm a member from Montreal, and I'm very interested in the Alto high-speed train project.
Could you give us some details about this project and the timeline?
That said, I understand that you have only been in the position for 39 days.
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
Yes, I have had some initial discussions with the team in Montreal, which is set up to organize that project as a whole, and I'll continue to do that. That is a transformative strategy as opposed to a project right now. As a project, that has not yet been referred to us. That gives us the opportunity to take the time to work with the project proponent to see how they think we can best be helpful to their process.
The goal that was set out in the press release was to reduce the time needed to get started on that project. It was eight years of time to get ready, and there was an assessment that we could reduce that time by half. That's a really tough putt, as you all know, for building such a large project with a large impact and with so many impacts in terms of property and all the rest of the things that go along with linear projects.
We are in the process now of beginning to work with Alto to see how the Major Projects Office can be additive to what they're trying to do, without being an extra layer of bureaucracy.
Liberal
Eric St-Pierre Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Great.
I have a few seconds left, and I'm sitting next to my colleague from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Can you quickly comment on the wind west project as well, very quickly?
Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office
Again, the wind west project is in the same category. I can say, truthfully, that I know the power sector quite well, and there have been a few discussions with people who are in the east. However, to come up with a comprehensive strategy for how to really utilize 60 gigawatts of wind resource off the coast, to get the transmission built, to get markets for that and to really do that well, it will take a considerable amount of time. We're just starting to staff that group and to make sure that we have the right people to do that work.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Angelo Iacono
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. St‑Pierre.
Mr. Bonin, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.
Bloc
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I understand that Natural Resources Canada is currently assessing or has already assessed the LNG project, which is one of five national projects.
Is that correct?
Can you share this assessment with the committee, or, if it hasn't been completed yet, will you be able to do so when it is?