Transport Committee on May 23rd, 2018

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

I think it's very important to understand we gave approval to this pipeline prior to those motions being introduced, so our commitment has been demonstrated by the approval of this pipeline. We are working diligently to get it done. I think our record speaks for itself. We have given approval to additional pipelines, including the Enbridge Line 3, which is under way, under construction on the Canadian side. The work on the Trans Mountain expansion was proceeding as it should have been proceeding until the new premier from British Columbia, for political reasons, created this uncertainty. The work was proceeding, and now we're working with Kinder Morgan to advance this project because we believe it to be in the best interests of Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much, Minister.

I think it's two minutes and 50 seconds, so I'm going to suspend. We'll go in for the vote, and we'll resume the committee for the remaining 10 minutes.

What's the desire of the committee? Do you want to come back after the vote? We'll have probably 10 to 12 minutes left.

[An hon. member]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

I'm going to suspend.

Minister, we'll see you shortly after the vote.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you, Minister, for returning, as well as all of the members of the committee.

We'll go back to Ms. Stubbs for two minutes.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Minister, the problem is that your actions don't match up with your words. Of course, the Trans Mountain expansion was approved a year and a half ago, and it faced opponents, delays or blocks, challenges, starting immediately after the approval. It's been a year since the B.C. NDP coalition vowed to use every tool in their tool box to stop it while you voted against using every tool in your tool box to ensure it could go ahead. What exactly will you be doing in the next eight days to ensure that the Trans Mountain expansion can proceed?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

As the member knows, I know she is passionate about Alberta, and I appreciate that. All Albertan MPs care deeply about getting our resources to the international market and expanding a non-U.S. market for Alberta's oil. The Minister of Finance has laid out principles under which discussions are proceeding. One of the areas that we are looking at is the indemnification, the risk, that has been created by the Government of British Columbia on this project. This is a very economically viable project, but due to political risk, it needs certainty and that's exactly what we are working to provide. I can tell the honourable member that we are working very diligently to get this project under way because we believe that this is in the best interest of Canada, getting our resources to the international market, creating jobs for Albertan families, as we have done for other provinces.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

The problem is there are eight days left. Kinder Morgan has said very clearly that you're not in alignment. There is no deal because the problem has never been money. The problem is certainty and the ability to execute your own approval. Your government's and the Prime Minister's total failure of leadership have created the economic and constitutional crisis facing Trans Mountain right now, which is damaging Canada's reputation as a whole.

The reality is that under your government, more energy investment has left Canada than under any other two-year time period in 70 years. On your watch, four major energy projects worth $84 billion have been cancelled. Your government obviously admits and acknowledges there's a problem in oil and gas competitiveness in Canada, because you've launched a $280,000 study to talk about it. What exactly, precisely, will you do, even though you voted against Trans Mountain, to ensure it can go ahead?

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Please give a short answer to a very long question.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

I think Albertans will be served better if we take the partisanship out of this debate. It is very disappointing that we have members of the Conservative Party who are more interested in political gains than the interests of Albertans to get this pipeline built.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you, Mr. Sohi.

Mr. Fraser, you have four minutes.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Thank you very much, Minister, for being here.

I'll start with a question about Trans Mountain then move to a more general theme. One of the things that we're starting, as you know, is the federal government's infrastructure program. We've heard from certain municipal representatives that an allocation-based system can be effective for long-term planning. This is the kind of system that you've implemented for the public transit funding.

One of the challenges for smaller communities that may not have a transit system today, but wish to develop one, is that they feel like they could be potentially left out. Could you give some assurances that these smaller communities that may want to develop a new transit system will have an opportunity to take part in federal infrastructure funding to make that happen?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

Thank you for that question. We wanted to focus our infrastructure investments where the needs are the greatest. That's why allocation-based transit funding helps those communities that already have transit systems, but we also created flexibility through our small communities fund as well as gas tax funding, where communities can come together and have a more regional approach to build a transportation system as they see fit.

I take pride in the working relationship that I have been able to establish with mayors across the country. If there are any regional plans that they would like to discuss with us, we're open to having those conversations.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Excellent.

I'm just shifting gears back to what's been the theme of today's meeting. There was talk during the meeting where there was a back and forth going on where it was a bit difficult to understand some of the points you were trying to make. I spent about five years in Calgary. I owe a lot to the city and to the province of Alberta, professionally, including the energy sector. I'm curious if you would like to have the floor for my remaining time to just outline some of the issues that you wanted to cover today but perhaps didn't have the time to, on the issue of support for your home province and the energy sector as well.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

What I can say is that I am a proud Albertan and I work tirelessly on behalf of my province. My department alone, since our taking office, has given approval to more than 150 infrastructure projects with a combined investment of $9 billion for Alberta alone. That $9 billion is more funding given in the last two and a half years than the previous administration gave in their decade in office. I'm very proud of that and very proud that we're advocating on behalf of the energy sector.

I know family, friends, and neighbours who work in this sector, and they have been going through very difficult times for the last number of years. I deeply care about their future and the future of their families. That's why getting the Trans Mountain expansion under way and construction started is not only important for Alberta but also important for the Canadian economy.

Thank you.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Excellent. Very quickly then, could you give an idea of the rough timeline we could expect for the smart cities challenge's remaining process to roll out.

There is probably only about 35 seconds left, so if you could highlight this for us, that would be great.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

We had 130 applications from across the country, from every province, and we are in the process or short-listing 20 out of those 130. Those short-listed applications will be made public in a short amount of time. Then we will give them seed funding to develop their idea into a proposal, and by the fall of this year we will be announcing some exciting news related to this challenge.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Ms. Stubbs.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Minister Sohi, although you voted against supporting a Trans Mountain expansion in the past, I am the sponsor of Bill S-245, the Trans Mountain pipeline project act, which passed the Senate last night and which I will introduce tomorrow.

Will you vote in favour of it?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

As I said earlier, I think the focus of the Conservative opposition on politicizing and creating partisan politics around this project is very unfortunate. It's not helping Alberta families. It is not getting our resources to the international market.

If they were so concerned about the energy sector, there were 26,000 energy sector workers laid off in 2015 under the Harper government, and they failed to give any support to them. I'm proud to say that when we took office, our government immediately extended EI benefits for all laid-off workers in Alberta.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

They don't want EI benefits. They want to get back to work.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

We extended their benefits. Maybe the honourable member doesn't like extension of EI benefits for those struggling families, but we do.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Minister Sohi, Bill S-245 would assert federal jurisdiction over all operations and construction related to Trans Mountain. It's a real tool to enforce federal jurisdiction.

We support your approval of the Trans Mountain expansion in the national interest. We agree wholeheartedly with your emphasis on the jobs it will create and on the necessity to increase pipeline capacity. When your government approved it, we supported that approval and said that approval is one thing and getting it built is another.

In addition to the ongoing negotiations with the proponent, which you won't disclose, will you simply support this legislation that asserts federal jurisdiction over roads, bridges, power connections, the terminal, and the operations and maintenance of the pipeline in order to stop the roadblocks and delays, which are really what is risking the Trans Mountain expansion, in which the Prime Minister has failed?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

The federal jurisdiction and the authority over interprovincial infrastructure projects, such as pipelines, has been established through the courts, and we are very confident that because of that established authority we will be able to get this project under way.

Negotiations cannot happen in the public domain because we want to make sure that we are protecting the public interest, that we are having those discussions in a way that will ensure the best way to move forward on this project. We are not interested in the politics of this. We are not interested in partisanship on it. We are interested in getting this pipeline built because we understand that this is going to help Albertan families and Canadian families.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you.

Mr. Aubin, you have two minutes.