Evidence of meeting #186 for Finance in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was benefit.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Morneau Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
We're going through a National Energy Board process in order to ensure we deal with the issues brought forth by the Federal Court of Appeal. Specifically, there were issues around whether the consideration of the west coast...issues around the Species at Risk Act—
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
All right. The minister doesn't appear to have an answer to that question—
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Chair, he's now spoken for much longer than my question was.
I'll move on to my next question, then.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
I'm going to say here, Mr. Poilievre, that we can get down to five-second questions and so on, but I see the purpose of a hearing being to get the best legitimate answers you can get. Let's try to proceed in that way.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
That's what I'm doing.
We're not getting any answers so far.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
This minister promised the construction would start in time for the last construction season. We're almost into winter now, and there's still no construction.
For the last time, when will construction begin on this project? On what date?
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Morneau Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
I was walking through the process that we were going through with the National Energy Board and was then going to talk about the importance of having meaningful engagement with indigenous peoples—both things that the Federal Court of Appeal asked us to do.
We're working on those, and we are aiming to have those processes proceed in a way that will ensure we meet up to the court's direction. At that stage we'll have more information.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
You have indicated that we're going to have to spend more tax dollars to build the expansion. How much more will the expansion cost taxpayers?
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Morneau Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
The current process, of course, is the enabling process to get to the expansion. As we get there, we'll have more information on the exact numbers.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Morneau Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
We did an extensive review of both the operating costs and the costs for building the pipeline expansion in order to get to the appropriate purchase price.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Okay, so you did an extensive review. Thank you for sharing that.
What did that review show the construction would cost?
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Morneau Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
The review showed, of course, that the construction costs that had been previously outlined by the pipeline proponent were entirely reasonable from the standpoint of any price that we would pay.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Morneau Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
This was an economic project from a Canadian taxpayer standpoint.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
You put $4.5 billion on the line to nationalize a pipeline, and you can't even tell us how many more Canadian tax dollars are going to have to be poured into this project. I would think you would have calculated this number before putting this amount of Canadian tax money on the line.
I'm going to give you one more chance to reassure Canadians, whose money is at stake here, that you actually did your math before you put their money on the line.
How much will the expansion cost Canadian taxpayers?