Minister Oliver, my constituents are writing me letters and writing letters to the editor about wasteful government spending, namely the $4 million mentioned on page 108 for advertising programs. While you're doing this advertising, government is promoting itself while cutting valuable services and innovation in science. We tried to put the department back on track by proposing a study on innovation in the energy sector.
I can tell you that my constituents who are concerned about safety and pipelines don't appreciate being called radicals. They don't appreciate being called radicals on the public dime.
They write letters to me and they write letters to the editor. I notice you're a fan of writing letters to the editor too and attacking concerned citizens and journalists. Unlike $4 million spent in advertising, writing letters to the editor is free, so it's good: you're saving taxpayers' dollars by writing letters to the editor.
But certainly, with all the changes made to Bills C-38 and C-45, it will be difficult to convince Canadians that their interests will be taken into account. The changes made show that the government is not at all interested in incrementalism. They are instead showing that our government is a radical one. The power is concentrated in your office. You already have the ability to overturn the decisions of the National Energy Board.
Canadians are right. It's a split with the public. I can describe that as something radical.
Would you support what Premier Marois and Premier Redford proposed? Would you support the joint consultations with the provinces for projects that are under way, such as Enbridge's line 9?