Natural Resources Committee on Oct. 23rd, 2024

[Adam Legge]

We are firmly opposed to the proposed oil and gas emissions cap. It is unnecessary regulation. It would put Canada in an uncompetitive position, curtail investment in the sector and ultimately result in lower economic activity, productivity and prosperity for Canadians. It is a poorly thought out regulation, and we've asked government to scrap it.

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

Can you also comment on what an emissions cap would do to the valuation of the pipeline?

[Adam Legge]

I don't necessarily have the specific numbers around that, but ultimately, if we can't produce as much as we have potential for in the country, we can't ship it. Therefore, we're not going to generate the revenues, the royalties, the jobs and the investment associated with it, so it would materially affect the valuation of the pipeline in a negative way.

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Strickland, we've been told previously during this study that contractors were replaced at the outset of the project with unionized Canadian workers. Can you tell me why this was done and what benefit Canadians received?

[Sean Strickland]

I think there were a couple of reasons.

The main reason was that the contract model from the outset was awarded to one contractor for the entire spread of the project, and it would have been better to diversify the contractor pool for that length of the project, at 890 kilometres.

At the same time, you had tight labour markets with Site C under way, as well as LNG Canada and Coastal GasLink, so it would have been much more advisable for the project proponents to sit down and work with the Pipe Line Contractors Association and unionized contractors to figure out how to get our members deployed across the country to better deliver and construct that pipeline.

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Strickland.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Mr. Falk, your time is up.

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Somebody else can ask, or you can follow up later. Thank you.

We are now going to go to Ms. Dabrusin.

Ms. Dabrusin, you have five minutes. The floor is yours.

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm going to move to resume debate on the motion that I had brought and that we were unable to complete our debate on in the last meeting.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Ms. Dabrusin, we have a point of order. I'm going to ask you to hold.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

I'd like to speak to that.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Wait one second. First, before we speak, we're going to go to a point of order.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Thank you.

I think that this motion is important, but we've had great testimony from our witnesses. Out of respect to them, I think they don't need to sit here and listen to us debate a motion.

Can we get consent for the witnesses—

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Since all of those witnesses are Albertans, I think they absolutely deserve to stay and witness this debate.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Thank you.

It is a dilatory motion. The clerk has told me that we have to put it right to a vote. We'll put it to a vote to resume debate, please.

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Can we have her read the motion into the record before we vote?

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Don't let the witnesses go until the vote happens.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

The motion is to resume debate on the motion.

You've put it, and we're going to a vote.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 7; nays 4)

The motion is adopted, so we will resume debate.

I'm sorry—

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

That just proves how much they really want to hear from witnesses.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

I'm going to ask—

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

I have to say that I have sat in this room with Mrs. Stubbs and the opposition bench when we've had witnesses on the screen and have never gotten to ask them one question or have any feedback. I resent the fact that this evening she's making an unfair accusation when she has done this many times, shutting down our committee to witnesses who were here.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Ms. Jones, thank you.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Thank you, colleague, for your comments. I apologize if you felt that way. Thanks for your point.