Natural Resources Committee on Feb. 26th, 2024

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

Well, I'm fascinated that my Conservative friends want the federal government now to be able to establish rules.

It says that before any bids can go out, there has to be an environmental assessment done first. Now, I come from mining country. If we had followed these rules and said that the federal government is going to impose in northern Ontario that you can't do any staking unless you've had a prior environmental assessment, there wouldn't be a single prospecting operation anywhere, because what happens is that the bids go out—in the north, it would be prospecting claims—then they get reviewed and then they go to an assessment. You go to the assessment because you have a potential project. You can't say that a whole area has to have a prior review first, before you can go for any bids.

I think what they're saying is that we're going to override the board, we're going to override the provinces and we're going to send the message to anybody who wants to invest to get out of town, because it's not going to happen. I think they're cutting off their nose to spite their face.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Thank you, Mr. Angus.

I'll go back to Mr. Small.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Chair, I find it rather rich that my colleague Mr. Angus is not in agreement with this amendment, which was brought about based on testimony from FFAW-Unifor. I'm quite shocked that he's not supporting those very people. Over the years, the NDP had a great relationship with Unifor, and now he's here in this committee and he's going against a recommendation that was developed out of testimony that was presented by Unifor. It's unbelievable, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Thank you, Mr. Small.

We'll go back to Mr. Angus.

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

I'm interested now, so if my Conservative colleagues will agree to impose on any oil and gas development in Alberta and Saskatchewan that it has to have a prior environmental bid—

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

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

—then maybe, but they can't pick and choose. They can't pick and choose precedent. They can't say, “We're going to screw over any kind of renewable energy in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

If we're going to say that there's going to be prior necessity for any reviews, then that seems to be like the national energy project in the 1980s. If they're willing to include Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia in that, then that's fairness. We just have to clarify.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Thank you, Mr. Angus.

Mr. Small, go ahead.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Angus has gone off topic here. This bill is about wind energy in the ocean, and amendments to the original Atlantic Accord that are all about destroying offshore oil and gas in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Nova Scotia. It has nothing.... Absolutely nowhere is onshore development of oil and gas mentioned in Bill C-49.

I don't know why he's hanging up.... He's wasting time and trying to cut down an amendment that FFAW-Unifor desperately wants so that their stakeholders, the people they represent, have a say in this process. It's absolutely disgusting, and it's an utter insult to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, the way he's getting on over there.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Thank you, Mr. Small.

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

I have a point of order.

It is 5:30. Are we not supposed to adjourn at 5:30?

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

I'm just going to go to Ms. Dabrusin, and hopefully that's it.

Ms. Dabrusin, go ahead.

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

I was just hoping that we could—maybe when we go into our next meeting—keep the conversation focused on the clause-by-clause and not take any personal potshots at each other. It doesn't help us to keep it going along.

I'm just asking if we can take that into consideration when we're speaking about things. We may feel very strongly about it, but let's just keep to the subject matter.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Thank you, Ms. Dabrusin.

With that, colleagues, we've worked hard over the last two hours, so let's make sure we keep working together.

I'll call the vote. Shall CPC-6 carry?

(Amendment negatived: nays 7; yeas 4)

Thank you, colleagues. That is our time for today's meeting.

Is there agreement of the committee to adjourn?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

The meeting is adjourned.