Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank my colleague on the other side for lifting this motion, putting his motion forward, but I want to make a few comments about what he stated.
On Monday night we debated the TMX expansion. Our government has approved the pipeline. It's working hard to get the pipeline built. I actually had the pleasure of being in the House and debating with my colleagues from all sides in favour of the pipeline.
In January, I visited the Edmonton area. I visited the Alberta industrial heartland area and saw the great things going on there. I have been unabashedly pro-pipeline for a very long time. We need it to diminish or lessen the differential between the WCS and WTI, and then Brent, oil prices. We are losing billions of dollars a year, and that's a stated fact put out by many research economists, industry observers, and so forth.
Our Prime Minister recently went to Fort McMurray, or Fort Mac as it's commonly known, and expressed his support to the oil industry workers in Alberta. We all know that. He went to B.C. and stated that he supports this pipeline. His comments have been consistent across the board. So my point of view and our party's point of view is that this pipeline will be built. Recently the Prime Minister had a meeting with the premiers of Alberta and British Columbia, and that message was delivered.
Now, there is a time frame or a window about which a private corporation has expressed its thoughts. I'm sure the various parties are dealing with that and working hard. But at the end of day, this pipeline will be built, MP Kmiec. That's where I stand. It should be built. It should be built for all those middle-class Canadians who will be working to build the pipe, all those jobs that will be created, and all those revenues that will be gained.
If you look at what our government has done, you'll see that the $1.5 billion oceans protection plan will ensure that the coasts are protected. To personalize it, as someone who grew up in northern British Columbia until I was 19 years old, I know how beautiful those coasts are. I'm proud of our government for putting forward a plan that balances the environment and the economy. As our environment minister says, they go hand in hand.
Regarding your comments on having meetings and so forth, I don't think it's necessary. I think right now the focus of this committee is to go over the budget implementation act legislation. We have a very important study that we're undertaking right now, the five-year review of our anti-money laundering and terrorist financing act. We know what the comments of the environment minister, the natural resources minister, the Prime Minister, and the finance minister have been on the TMX pipeline. We are balancing our national interest of building this pipeline—and it will be built.
I thank you, Tom, for bringing forward this motion. I fundamentally disagree with it. I think right now the focus of this committee is fully with the things we are working on and looking at. I know that our government is hard at work to get pipelines built, whether it's the Line 3 replacement; whether it's the Pembina facility out in Prince Rupert, the propane export facility that was recently introduced; whether it's a number of polypropylene facilities that are to be built in the Alberta industrial heartland, we're going at it. We're working hard. We've brought confidence back into our regulatory process, something that you didn't mention was lost during your party's time in government.
I do respect your motion. I agree with the importance of this pipeline. I don't agree with moving forward on a study. That would not be utilizing the committee's time in a prudent manner in terms of what we have facing us and in terms of the timeline.
Those are my thoughts, Mr. Chair.