Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the members of the committee for letting me join you today.
Minister, I'm proud to be part of a government that takes climate change seriously and knows that pollution can no longer be free. We can't just sit back and do nothing, which is what the Conservatives are doing. We know that a price on pollution is recognized globally as the most effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and change behaviours.
Minister, I've heard from constituents in my riding who are expressing concern over the approval of TMX and the fact that the government is building a pipeline at the same time that we declared a climate change emergency. People like Chris, a young man who's passionate about climate change and feels we need to be doing more to transition from a carbon economy, has spoken to me a number of times. I know that he was very upset about the TMX approval. I have constituents in Oakville North—Burlington who are passionate about climate change and the environment. Groups like Halton Environmental Network, the Halton Climate Collective, Citizens' Climate Lobby, Oakvillegreen and BurlingtonGreen work tirelessly in our communities to combat climate change.
Minister, could you explain to these groups and to my constituents like Chris how we can justify TMX while also seriously tackling the climate change emergency that we face in Canada?