Mr. Speaker, the government understands well that natural resources and natural resource projects play a vital role in our economy. They are important contributors to job creation and economic prosperity for Canadians. This government understands that responsible resource development is crucial for our future. This government further understands that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand and our future well-being demands that we have both. This government supports the development and export of resources in ways that bolster the economy, protect the environment, and bring Canadians together to create a better future.
As a government, we are committed to rebuilding the trust of Canadians in our environmental assessment processes. As the experiences of the past 10 years should tell us, this is the only way to get resources to market responsibly in the 21st century.
We need a robust environmental assessment regime in order to attain our goals. One of this government's major priorities is thus to review and improve Canada's environmental processes. Our government's goal, which we intend to achieve through a robust and comprehensive review of existing environmental assessment processes, is to establish an environmental assessment regime that enables decisions to be based on evidence, takes into account the views and concerns of Canadians, and respects the rights and the interests of indigenous peoples.
We are committed to designing this new environmental assessment regime through robust consultations with the public, indigenous peoples, governments, and industry. We are presently developing the details of these consultations. The government intends to outline its approach in the coming months.
Our government also understands the pressing need to provide clear guidance to project proponents, such as the TMX and energy east pipelines, and to the Canadian public regarding projects that are already undergoing an environmental assessment or that will soon start an environmental assessment under current processes.
Yesterday, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Natural Resources announced the government's interim approach to assessing ongoing projects. Key principles comprising this interim approach are: no project proponent will be asked to return to the starting line; project reviews will continue within the current legislative framework and in accordance with treaty provisions; decisions will be based on science, traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples, and other relevant evidence. Further, the views of the public and affected communities will be sought and considered; indigenous peoples will be meaningfully consulted and, where appropriate, impacts on their rights and interests will be accommodated; and direct and upstream greenhouse gas emissions linked to the projects under review will be assessed. This stands in very stark contrast to the current environmental assessment regime that we have in place.
In addition to rebuilding Canadians' confidence in our environmental assessment processes, this government's domestic and international commitments to sustainable economic development are part and parcel of its strategy for combatting climate change. Our strategy regarding climate change involves establishing national emissions reduction targets while providing flexibility for the provinces and territories to design policies to assist in meeting these commitments, including carbon pricing.
While a comprehensive strategy to address climate change will have a number of elements, one key area of focus will be fostering the development of a robust clean tech sector in Canada. This includes a focus on renewable forms of energy generation but also clearly involves working with our natural resources sector to reduce its carbon intensity. Clean tech is highly relevant to Canada's resource industries in terms of improving efficiency and enhancing the marketability of such products to global customers. Our government's efforts in the clean tech space will be a critical part of our approach to combatting climate change and will form a key part of our economic strategy for the resource sector and the broader energy sector.
I have spent the last 20 years as an executive on the front lines of the clean tech industry. Clean tech offers tremendous potential in entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic growth. Our government's commitments to invest in this critical sector will contribute to lowering our greenhouse gas emissions, create middle-class jobs, and place Canada as a clean technology leader around the world.
As we speak, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change is meeting with her provincial counterparts to make progress toward a pan-Canadian framework that embraces the opportunities that a lower carbon economy will provide.
Canada's natural resources are, indeed, a crucial part of our economy. However, in the modern world major energy projects, such as pipelines, will succeed in gaining the necessary public confidence only if we can demonstrate to Canadians that this can be done in an environmentally responsible way. We have a plan that will enable us to restore the confidence of Canadians, a plan to restore the primacy of science and evidence-based decision-making in the evaluation of major projects, including pipelines; a plan to increase and significantly improve the government's engagement with communities, and consultation with indigenous peoples; a plan that will enable us to bring our goods to market in a modern, responsible way.
In short, we are committed to rebuilding the confidence in the integrity of environmental assessment processes in Canada. I am proud to say that Environment and Climate Change Canada, in conjunction with Natural Resources Canada, is taking important steps to ensure that resources are developed responsibly and in a manner that will enable us to restore the confidence of Canadians.
I look forward to working with my colleagues from all parties represented in the chamber to make substantive progress on these important files.