Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to welcome all the members of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources as well as the additional members in attendance today. We have left our ridings and the important work we were doing there to come here, to Ottawa.
First of all, I would like to thank the committee members for moving the motion. This is a very important discussion for us to have.
I would also like to thank MP Stubbs and MP Cannings for sharing their point of view today about this very important project.
Mr. Chair, we've heard some similar arguments about the previous motions in May and June, so we want to make sure that we continue with this very important project. The Trans Mountain project, as we repeatedly talked about, is really an investment in Canada's future. Our government continues to have the confidence that this project will get built. We have received the ruling from the Federal Court of Appeal, and we are taking the appropriate time to review the decision and assess the next steps.
Mr. Chair, it's really important to recognize that for the past 10 years the Harper Conservatives had the opportunity to diversify Canada's export markets and to build pipelines to tidewater, but the Conservatives could not get it done. We will.
When we look at our government's position, we inherited a flawed environmental review process and we made some significant efforts to improve this process. We're going to review carefully the decision to ensure that we are meeting the highest standards that Canadians expect from us when it comes to protecting the environment and meeting our obligations to consult with indigenous peoples.
Conservatives believe, even today, that we have to make a choice between protecting the environment and growing the economy. Mr. Chair, we know that we can do both. It's also very important to state that we can't go backwards to a time when environmental protections and meaningful conversations with indigenous peoples were seen as an option by the previous government. That is the approach the Harper government took, and that's the approach the Conservative Party is still taking. It's an approach to put us in the position we are in today, and it's a sure way to continue to not build any pipelines.
When we look at the process here, make no mistake: Our government chose to pursue this project with confidence because the facts and evidence demonstrate that it is in the national interest. This was not our first choice, but it is the right choice to protect thousands of jobs and to ensure this project moves forward in the right way.
The expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline is truly an investment in Canada's future and our government continues to move forward on this project with confidence.
Our government inherited a faulty environmental review process and has made efforts to improve it. We will examine the decision today to make sure that we meet the high environmental protection standards that Canadians expect as well as our duty to consult aboriginal peoples.
Our government decided to purchase the pipeline because the facts showed that it was truly in Canada's national interest to do so. It is not our first choice, but it is the right choice to protect thousands of jobs and to move the project forward.
I'm happy to be hearing opposite views on this today at the committee level. As we've said, it's really important to take time from our summer constituent time to discuss this important project. This is not the first time we've discussed this at the committee. Since we've heard some of the views in May and June, and today, I would ask, Mr. Chair, if you would consider putting this motion to a vote.