Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to quickly come back to something that has been raised by some witnesses, namely, that Bill C‑49 isn't necessarily part of the energy transition. For many stakeholders, the energy transition is about putting low‑carbon energy ahead of fossil fuels. However, there is no clear indication of that in the bill.
We would therefore benefit from including a short text in the preamble that would enable us to both give the bill an intent, that is to say to be part of the energy transition, and to meet Canada's commitments with respect to meeting emissions reduction targets. We could also talk about reforming certain oil and gas frameworks.
I will read you the proposed text:
Whereas Canada has ratified the Paris Agreement, done in Paris on December 12, 2015, which entered into force in 2016; Whereas the goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep the increase in global mean temperature to well below 2oC above pre‑industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5oC above pre‑industrial levels; Whereas the Government of Canada has committed to achieving and even exceeding the target for 2030 in its nationally determined contribution communicated in accordance with the Paris Agreement; Whereas the Government of Canada has committed to achieving net‑zero carbon emissions by 2050; Whereas the Canadian Net‑Zero Emissions Accountability Act entrenches the commitment to achieve net‑zero carbon emissions by 2050 in Canadian law; Whereas, in December 2022, the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, known as “COP15”, adopted the Kunming‑Montreal Biodiversity Framework; Whereas Canada has committed to halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030; Whereas marine petroleum exploration and exploitation projects pose a direct and indirect threat to marine biodiversity; Whereas the oil and gas production sectors are the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in Canada; Whereas, in order to cap and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the oil and gas production sectors, their total production must gradually decline; Whereas, in order to reach net‑zero carbon emissions, states must cease making new investments in petroleum research and production; Whereas the first step in the energy transition is to stop approving new petroleum exploitation projects; …
If we added this text to the preamble, we could resolve a major problem that makes me reluctant to support Bill C‑49, namely, the fact that, as part of the transition, fossil fuels are being treated the same as renewable energy.
In the amendments we've proposed, this reading will come up again and again. It was also shared by many witnesses we've heard from, including Normand Mousseau of the Trottier Energy Institute, who is probably the most credible person in Quebec, if not Canada, when it comes to the energy transition.