Thank you very much, Ms. Lail.
I listened carefully to your opening remarks. You spoke about the shortcomings of the policy framework and federal obstacles. I've been hearing this here for a long time from representatives of the oil and gas sectors.
As the Quebec saying goes, “When you want to put your dog down, you say it has rabies”. I get the impression that people in the oil and gas sectors are currently highlighting these bureaucratic hurdles when it comes to infrastructures in an effort to find a way to get the government fund these infrastructures.
Let me explain why I feel this way. The only gas or oil infrastructure built in recent years is the $34 billion expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, funded by all taxpayers. We are still subsidizing every barrel of oil that passes through Trans Mountain today, since exporting companies don't pay the fair price for using the infrastructure.
I wonder whether industry players are willing to invest in this type of infrastructure. Do they feel that, in the long run, it isn’t profitable? That’s the message I'm getting when I read the media and reactions within the oil sector. In short, let me put it plainly: What I see right now is that people in the gas and oil sectors want the public to bear the risk of their infrastructure, while still wanting to reap the profits. That's the message they're sending at the moment, in my view.
The government has reached an agreement with Alberta, but no one has come forward to say they want to build a pipeline. I really can't make sense of this situation. Perhaps you can shed some light on it for me. I'd appreciate any information you can provide.