Evidence of meeting #4 for Finance in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was infrastructure.
A video is available from Parliament.
Vice-President, Policy and Performance, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Well, at this point we don't know how much bitumen is going to be produced, much less refined.
Liberal
Robert-Falcon Ouellette Liberal Winnipeg Centre, MB
Well, most of the bitumen is actually sent overseas.
Liberal
Vice-President, Policy and Performance, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
There's a big initiative in Alberta that you may be aware of. The government is promoting and supporting increased bitumen refining and upgrading. We haven't really looked at that as an issue for us other than that we believe there's an opportunity. If there's an opportunity for value-added for the Province of Alberta, we'd be interested in pursuing it. That's no different from refinery upgrades or refinery production.
There are some proposals out there to refine more petroleum products in Canada. We have supported them, but at the end of the day it's not our business to promote them. It's a product out-take for us. It's part of the market access opportunity. So if a refinery were economical and were to be built somewhere in Canada, we would certainly support that as an opportunity to market our products.
Liberal
Robert-Falcon Ouellette Liberal Winnipeg Centre, MB
Great.
I have just a couple of questions more, and they'll be very short.
This one is actually for everyone. Do you believe in climate change? Does everyone here believe in climate change?
Vice-President, Policy and Performance, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Absolutely.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
With committees, if it isn't said in the record, it doesn't exist, so putting up your hand won't work.
February 17th, 2016 / 5:50 p.m.
Director, Advocacy and Public Policy, YWCA Canada
That's probably a personal answer. We don't have a policy on climate change for a women's services organization.
Liberal
President, Canadian Medical Association
I was just going to add that at our annual meeting this year in Vancouver, we're having a keynote speaker on the effects of climate change on the health of Canadians. So Canadian physicians are certainly aware of climate change.
Vice-President, Policy and Performance, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
I would say on behalf of our members, yes, absolutely, given the amount of effort and focus we have put on that issue.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
I'm sorry about that, Mr. Bloomer. We missed you on the video conference. Go ahead.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association
I'm sorry. It was cutting out a bit.
I was just going to say with respect to the climate change question that yes, we believe in climate change, and I think we are supportive of the greenhouse gas initiatives in Alberta and the focus on that federally.
Liberal
Robert-Falcon Ouellette Liberal Winnipeg Centre, MB
This is a comment directed at the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association.
I really believe that most Canadians did not have confidence in the National Energy Board and the processes that were put in place. I think this is why we had a change in government in this country. It's partly due to that, but there are many other reasons as well. At the end of the day, I think these decisions are going to have to be made right across this country. I think the process has to be improved to hear different voices and to ensure that a diversity of people are involved in that entire process.
I hope that the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association will be supportive of looking at getting different people involved, especially indigenous people, and you indicated that you believe in working with and consulting them, and having a more scientific and data-approved process where you get all those different voices.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association
That's correct. I mean, we support the deepening of consultation with first nations, and we do say, with respect to the modernization of the NEB, that those voices at the board level should be included.
Conservative
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I will resist the temptation that I was starting to build there, Mr. Chairman. I think that in this whole process that we've been going through for the last two days, that particular line of questioning was the most inappropriate I've seen and heard. As the Alberta representative, if I wanted to take the next five minutes to give my two representatives from Alberta the chance to repudiate some of the stuff that's just been said, I could do that, but I'm not going to lower myself to that standard. I'm going to ask some questions that I think are relevant to our discussions and why we are here today.
Conservative
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Thank you.
On the presentation by the Canadian Medical Association, I want to get a little bit more information about your third proposal on tax breaks for caregivers. Could you elaborate a bit more on that? I'm not familiar with what the situation is today and I probably should be. Give us a couple of examples of how this would be applied in real life.
President, Canadian Medical Association
Yes. Currently, there is a caregiver tax credit that people can apply for, which would cover expenses that might be incurred in giving care to their loved ones or family members. It's not refundable, so there is nothing that they would receive back at the end of day from that actual tax credit. We're suggesting that they actually have money back in their pocket. I think they are allowed to claim about 15 per cent the way the current caregiver tax credit works. It would be a somewhat small measure, not touching the 8.1 million Canadians who are giving this type of care, but it would likely reach the ones who are giving the most care or are in the most need, in some way, by giving them some money back at the end of the day.
Conservative
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
This might also be a question for the nurses association.
I don't think there's anybody around the table who would disagree that this is an issue which I think is going to be a challenge for us going forward. It's not just the fact that there are going to be more requirements for caregiving. I think we're a society today that would just as soon pay someone else to give care. Would this also refer to workers who are...because I don't know if you're referring to in-home care or care that's in facilities. I'm just trying to get a better sense of what....
President, Canadian Medical Association
This is care being provided in the home.