Mr. Chair, I appreciate this question and welcome the opportunity to put on record the opposition's position on these important measures.
While common sense would dictate that both the NDP and the Liberals would have supported the increased safety measures that our government introduced, unfortunately, it is not surprising that these measures were not supported by the opposition parties. Both the Liberals and the NDP voted against increasing pipeline inspections by 50%. They voted against doubling the number of comprehensive audits. They voted against imposing new fines for companies that do not follow our environmental laws. This is unfortunately a pattern with the opposition. It opposes any measure to make resource development even safer, as it would rather not have development at all.
Our government is the only government that will take serious steps to improve pipeline safety across the country. I have full confidence that pipeline companies will continue to ensure that pipelines meet the NEB's strict safety standards. This is not only a substantive issue. It is also an issue of gaining the confidence of the public, the so-called social licence. We must proceed with these world-class safety measures for pipelines and for maritime safety, both because it is the right thing to do and because we want to protect Canadians and the environment.
We also want to communicate clearly to the Canadian population that we are taking these actions in order to achieve the social license to permit us to develop these resources for the benefits of Canadians right across the country.