Evidence of meeting #105 for Natural Resources in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pipeline.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Jim Carr Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Last week the Conservative Party voted against nearly $560 million in programming for Natural Resources Canada.
Liberal
Jim Carr Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
I could go through the whole list. You've done a very good job.
By nature, I am not particularly partisan. I understand the role of the opposition. I was in opposition in the Manitoba legislature, and I understand that the opposition uses the tools at their disposal. Sometimes those tools are used irresponsibly, but it's not for the 338 of us to determine that it affects us personally. We're the ones who get up every seven minutes and have to vote hour after hour, but ultimately the opposition makes the calculation of whether or not that's in its interests, and the Canadian people will decide.
The consequence of the opposition action was that they did vote against these very important measures, and that's their choice and they'll be held accountable for it.
Liberal
Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON
When we talk about the price on pollution, we've heard at length a different approach from the opposition—or they don't seem to have a plan, other than opposing ours. I want to get your sense of what is wrong with having a price on polluters, and taking those dollars and giving them back to the Canadian population, to the middle class.
Liberal
Liberal
Jim Carr Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
It's not just our idea in government. There have been leaders within the Conservative Party who have talked very persuasively about price mechanisms in order to send the right kind of signal to the marketplace and to consumers. I think Preston Manning was one person who was a leader in expressing this point of view, and there are others. Also, at the G20 and elsewhere around the world, it's part of the conversation.
It makes perfect sense that you provide the right kind of financial incentives for people. We all know that pollution is bad. If you put a price on pollution, it's a disincentive to pollute. In any event, as members know, provinces will be granted monies back to spend as they deem fit within their own jurisdictions.
Carbon pricing reduces emissions. It drives innovation and helps Canada to compete in a low-carbon economy. We think this is a positive development.
Again, I can't speak for the opposition. They think it's a bad idea. We look for their plan. We want to know how they could do a better job. They feel that we can reduce greenhouse emissions through a mechanism that we don't know about yet. But we will learn about that. I saw their leader interviewed the other day on television. He said, by golly, stay tuned. You'll find out. We await. Canadians will look at our plan and then they'll look at the opposition's plan, and they'll do what Canadians always do—they'll make a judgment at the appropriate moment.
Liberal
Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON
I'm glad you mentioned Preston Manning. There's Mark Cameron, former chief adviser to Stephen Harper. Then there's the Manitoba government. That's where, when you look at being on the wrong side of history here.... You have Shell Canada, Irving Oil, Teck Resources Cenovus, and Imperial all supporting what you just said. I just wanted to make sure that's on record.
I'm being heckled as I'm speaking.
Conservative
Liberal
Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON
But seriously, when we look at moving forward and the energy sector, Canada is a world leader in energy. We have the best companies and the best resources. We have one of the highest energy consumption rates in the world. Therefore, when we look at moving forward to play a leadership role.... I'll ask a question specifically on our leadership, but also link that to our indigenous communities and how important it is to make sure that while we can't have consensus, we are making a really concerted effort to engage and have that participation of our indigenous communities also.
Liberal
Jim Carr Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
We're making very important strides in partnering with indigenous communities. The best example is in my department. We approached the indigenous communities located down the Line 3 replacement and the TMX line with a blank sheet of paper—not with our ideas written on the other side, but a blank sheet. We said to them, let's co-develop a monitoring system so that indigenous communities up and down these two lines are very much a part of ensuring that construction is done safely and the monitoring that throughout its life cycle. This has never been done before. It's a very important development.
By the way, in fairness, not all of these communities want the pipeline. Some of the chiefs had to go back to their communities when they knew that the majority of their residents were opposed to the pipeline for a variety of reasons. But when it came time to working with Canada to co-develop terms of reference and to be involved in monitoring the safe construction, the communities were in. That took great courage from indigenous leaders.
Another set of communities has chosen to sign on to benefit agreements with Kinder Morgan—some 43 of them, 33 of them in British Columbia—creating opportunity for these communities and their young people for employment, skills development, and community benefit. This is good. It's something that we have to understand is part of the future of resource development in Canada. Indigenous partnerships are a part of the reality. You saw that in Bill C-69, where we say right at the very beginning that these consultations have to start at the front end. I think Perry Bellegarde, chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said it best: “You don't build anything until you build relationships”. We have had the pleasure in our department of building relationships over a longer period of time. I think that speaks very well.
On Canada's role in the world, I didn't understand when I was appointed to this job how much time I'd be spending on an airplane—going to Beijing, Delhi, Mexico, Argentina, and Paris—but that's the way it is, because energy is international and pollution knows no boundaries. The reason Canada is such a welcome partner in the international community is the the richness, diversity, and abundance of energy we have and our proven track record as innovators. We are very confident that other countries will be looking to Canada for the way forward. I think we have the capacity to lead. I'm very optimistic about the future, and I think we should all be very proud of the steps we've taken and continue to take.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal James Maloney
Thank you, Minister.
Mr. Serré, sorry, that's more than all your time, actually.
Minister, I know you have to leave us now to get ready for what happens next, but I just want to thank you again on behalf of the committee for taking the time to join us, especially at this time of year when there are so many pressures to be in so many different places. So we're all very grateful.
Conservative
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Chair, given that the Minister wasn't able to make it here until 10 minutes after the start time—which I do understand given the pressures in his schedule—and that even in my answer at the end of my exchange, the time went over, could we have a three- to five-minute round for one of my colleagues to ask questions?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal James Maloney
Unfortunately, no. The minister has to leave. I was generous with the time for everybody who asked questions—
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal James Maloney
Well, we can stay until 1:15, but the minister, unfortunately, has to leave. I said that at the beginning that we were going to have one round of questions—
Conservative
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
So, we will have that's less than 45 minutes of answers from the minister on the most important—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal James Maloney
I made it very clear at the outset that we were going to have one round of questions.
