Evidence of meeting #92 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was amendment.
A video is available from Parliament.
Green
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This is a very significant amendment and very close.... I'm not sure if there's advice about BQ-5 and if there's a conflict—whether, if this one carries, you can still consider BQ-5.
I'm not sure if that's worth reviewing at this point or if I should speak to my amendment. I look for guidance on that point, Mr. Chair or the clerk.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
I'm conferring with the clerk, Ms. May.
We're going to let the committee move forward on this and take care of it.
Do you want me to turn the floor over to you, Ms. May?
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Thank you.
I'll speak to PV-5 and then to whatever the committee is doing.
By the way, it's almost unbelievable, so I can't resist telling all of you as friends around the table that I'm at the Air Canada departure lounge for the flight to Dubai for COP28. I wouldn't still be here except that the flight was delayed. I'm very relieved, because Mr. Morrice is in his riding tonight, that he could rush here.
Anyway, again, this amendment is that, because we're looking at the minister having the ability to make regulations in relation to aspects of marine traffic management in the port, it seeks for the minister to ensure that those regulations move to “prohibit the loading and unloading of coal” that is used for the purpose of generating electricity “to and from ships in a port”. In previous commitments the government has made, this is referred to as prohibiting the shipment of thermal coal out of this port.
It's a great irony, which I'll just mention parenthetically, that the shipments of coal from the Port of Vancouver are shipments of coal from the United States, because up and down the U.S. west coast the shipment of thermal coal has been prohibited by state governments concerned about climate change, and U.S. coal is diverted to Canadian ports.
This is an extremely important amendment for management of anchorages, because it will vastly reduce the pressure on bulk shipment of products. It'll make it easier to ship prairie grain more efficiently in and out of the Port of Vancouver if we eliminate one of the two largest.... Well, there are two kinds of bulk products that create the anchorages problem and that create backlogs and inefficiencies in supply chains. One is the poor management of the shipment of grain, which hurts, as I've mentioned before, prairie farmers, who are disadvantaged by inefficiencies in loading and unloading grain in the Port of Vancouver.
This would help prairie farmers, the climate and the environment in the marine areas of the southern Gulf Islands and up through the coast of British Columbia and will fulfill an election promise previously made.
I hope you will carry PV-5 to eliminate this export product.
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you, Ms. May.
I'll turn it over to Mr. Badawey for his first thoughts.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I will comment by saying—and Ms. May alluded to it earlier—that we support the intent of this. It's not something that we dislike, but we prefer BQ-5, which is more specific.
You asked the question earlier of whether it was either-or. In our case, yes, it would be either-or, and we would support BQ-5 simply because it's in the mandate letter. Environment Minister Guilbeault's mandate letter identifies what BQ-5 speaks about. The messages under that are, of course, that our government believes that climate change is in fact real, and we need to address the climate crisis by making the transition to cleaner and greener energy sources. The amendment that the Bloc proposes under BQ-5 aligns with our government's commitment to phase out exports of thermal coal and move to cleaner and greener energy, while further protecting the environment that we love from coast to coast to coast for a healthier and safer future.
Once again, just to be clear, Mr. Chairman, we support the intent by Ms. May, but we think BQ-5 goes a bit further with that intent and aligns with the direction this government is taking.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you, Mr. Badawey.
Are there any other questions or comments?
I see none, so we will go to a vote on PV-5.
(Amendment negatived: nays 10; yeas 1 [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you, Madam Clerk.
Colleagues, that was a good day's work.
Thank you very much for your work tonight.
I want to thank our witnesses once again for being here. You have the joy, witnesses, of coming back—
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Chair, there's one minute left. Would we have time to vote on BQ‑5?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
We could start, but I think this discussion would take quite a bit more than a minute. At least, that's what I understood.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
It's going to be a much longer discussion than one minute, colleagues, and possibly much longer than 10 or 15 minutes for BQ-5. Do I have agreement to adjourn the meeting, colleagues?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
This meeting stands adjourned.
Thank you, everyone. Have a good evening.