Most certainly not.
Evidence of meeting #76 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was industry.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #76 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was industry.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Income Tax Committee, Tax Executives Institute, Inc.
Yes, that's correct.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Income Tax Committee, Tax Executives Institute, Inc.
We have many offices spread across British Columbia and Alberta. I'm located in Vancouver, but we have significant operations in the Edmonton area as well.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
I hope you mean Fort McMurray as well, don't you?
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Income Tax Committee, Tax Executives Institute, Inc.
Absolutely. It's Fort Mac as well.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
That is the place I represent. In fact, isn't Finning the largest repair shop in the world for Caterpillar? I think it is.
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Income Tax Committee, Tax Executives Institute, Inc.
It's definitely the largest Caterpillar dealer in the world. In terms of the size of the facility, I don't have that information.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
That's all right.
Finning International did $1.8 billion in the second quarter in revenue. You have people all over the world, and if you look online, 75 out of 85 jobs that you're looking to fill right now are in Alberta.
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Income Tax Committee, Tax Executives Institute, Inc.
That's correct. The ability to get people up into the Fort Mac region and get them working for us is tough. It's an issue.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
It's an issue, especially when you're only paying $200,000 to $225,000 a year for people to work in heavy equipment operation. Is that fair to say?
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Income Tax Committee, Tax Executives Institute, Inc.
Of course—
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Income Tax Committee, Tax Executives Institute, Inc.
In some roles, yes, it's definitely the wages, but there are lots of other issues besides wages, such as people leaving their families.
People come in from Newfoundland. They fly on planes and live in camps for—
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
I've lived there for 47 years. I know exactly what's going on there.
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Income Tax Committee, Tax Executives Institute, Inc.
So you know there are other—
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
Most of my questions are going to be to you in relation to CEPA, Mr. McCaig.
I'm wondering about the pipeline industry. If in 2008 the pipeline industry was shut down in Canada, in your mind, what would have happened to our economy?
4:45 p.m.
Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association
I don't have the exact figures, but I could give it in picture form to you.
If the pipelines were to shut down today, how would you heat your homes, turn on your lights, move your vehicles? That would be the key answer, I think.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
In fact, as you mentioned, it costs $5 billion to transport all of our oil and, I think, gas in Canada, but you're actually adding about $122 billion to the economy. In essence, you're moving $127 billion worth of product.
4:45 p.m.
Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association
That's correct.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
Okay. My next question is this: are the pipelines today in Canada constrained in the volume of material they can move?
4:45 p.m.
Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association
Absolutely.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
That's especially the case with oil. Is that not fair?
4:45 p.m.
Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association
Absolutely. It's especially on the oil side.
The challenge is that the market's changing as well, in terms of where we're moving it and those types of things. We live in a worldwide marketplace. It's not only North America. That's why you're seeing a lot of debate and discussion around how you reach those other markets and why diversification is so important.