Mr. Speaker, Petro-Canada has announced that it will be shutting down the refinery in Oakville by 2004, importing 45,000 barrels of oil per day from Europe and elsewhere to supply its gas stations in Ontario, possibly via Canada Steamship Lines. Let us hope it does not dump it into the ocean again.
The reason for the shutdown is the government's decision to promote cleaner gas use in Canada by January 2005. The company has decided it will not invest in clean technology.
The government remains a 20% investor in Petro-Canada. How does the government expect other Canadian companies to follow new environmental guidelines and keep investment, jobs and maintain secure energy supplies with this example? What is the minister responsible for crown corporations doing about this?