Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Just having looked into this over the last day or so, I appreciate the motion that Ms. Bell is trying to make and what she is trying to do here.
The NEB's role is as an agency on interprovincial pipelines and international pipelines as well as international transmission lines for electricity. Having been through some of these processes before through NEB applications, they are extensive and there are a tremendous number of public hearings that happen on all these.
I have a significant concern that we are trying to take the NEB's decision-making process as part of the natural resources committee. I don't think that's our job.
The public interest, as I said, is inclusive of all Canadians and refers to a balance of the economic, environmental, and social interests. Under the NEB act, the factors to be considered and the criteria in coming up with those decisions are to take all those factors into account. That's why it takes so long.
There has been a tremendous amount of commentary on this, a tremendous number of submissions, and I'm sure a tremendous number of intervenors. I haven't gone through all the intervenors' applications but I'm sure there are a large number.
The second issue I have a concern about is that there has been significant economic analysis done on this. There is about $1.5 billion in expenditures on this project, of which 98% will accrue to Canadian content. That's been balanced with the NEB's statement that this project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. Is this going to be any better than us trucking bitumen over in a bunch of trucks down to the U.S.? I doubt that would be any more environmentally friendly.
Mr. Chair, I'm very concerned that we are trying to take over the NEB's actions. And further in the motion it says, “and other proposed pipelines on Canada's energy security”. Are we going to open this up so that we're going to review every pipeline application that comes in? Is that going to be the committee's role? If that's the case, why do we have an NEB? They have the expertise to do this. They've been doing it for years.
I just think this motion is way off base. And it's a day late and a dollar short, because it's been approved.