Debates of Feb. 2nd, 2017

The Environment

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to question the Minister of Environment to get a clear answer on my question from my December 2, 2016 exchange.

I like to call my riding “the promised land”. It is a land flowing with milk and honey to some degree. It is also a land filled with promise. It is one of the youngest ridings in the country and it has a very vast landscape. It is about half the size of Norway. It is about the size of Iceland. It is three times the size of the Netherlands and has a population of 100,000. Many of the people are employed in primary industries such as logging, agriculture, and the oil field.

The implementation of the new carbon tax has had some significant impacts in northern Alberta with respect to jobs, and I will focus my remarks on the forestry sector. I had the opportunity over the Christmas break to ride along with my cousin in his logging truck for a day. It was a real opportunity. We drove out into the bush, loaded 45 tonnes onto a logging truck, and hauled it 120 kilometres into Whitecourt, where we unloaded it at the big sawmill. I saw some huge equipment in action and participated in a little of the banter that was happening on CB radio. It was fascinating to see all that heavy equipment in action and all the people it took so we could buy a two-by-four at the Home Depot for $4.50. It was fascinating to watch.

I also had an opportunity to meet with folks from ANC, the Alberta Newsprint Company. It operates a large paper factory in Whitecourt. I also took a tour of the La Crete Sawmills in La Crete, Alberta. All of the people I met told me that this was an industry that operated on very slim margins and it was commodity-based. Unlike a lot of other businesses, they do not have the opportunity to pass the new expenses on to their consumers. The price of a pound of paper is the price of a pound of paper. The price of a board length is the price of a board length. They are subject to those prices because they are international prices. They have said that when the carbon tax comes in, it will make a significant cut into their profitability and also the jobs.

It would be one thing if this were the only thing that was happening to the forestry industry in northern Alberta, but it is not. Electrical rates are changing significantly in northern Alberta. The softwood lumber agreement has not come into play, so people are worried about that.

We also have a cariboo range plan. I have contacted the minister's office a couple of times about this issue as have stakeholders from my riding. We are looking to the environment minister to give us a reprieve on not only the carbon tax, but also the cariboo range plan initiative. I know there is a hard date of October of this year for that range plan. We are looking for a reprieve on that date so we can get a good range plan in place, especially in light of the new carbon tax coming into play.

[Kim Rudd, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to creating a cleaner, more innovative economy that reduces emissions and protects our environment, all while getting our natural resources to market through pipeline approvals and while creating well-paying jobs for the middle class and those working hard to join it.

Unlike the Harper government, we understand that the environment and the economy must not be competing interests but, indeed, shared priorities. After a decade of complete inaction, our government has put in place the measures required to reduce emissions, grow our economy, and create good middle-class jobs.

These actions include accelerating the phase-out of coal, developing a clean fuel standard, taking action on short-lived climate pollutants, and yes, putting a price on carbon pollution.

In December, first ministers met to finalize the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change. This plan identifies actions that will allow us to meet or exceed our greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 30% below 2005 levels.

After 10 years of the previous government only talking about targets, our government took action. Informed by consultations with Canadians across the country, indigenous peoples, and industry, this plan will create the clean-growth economy necessary for the collective health, prosperity, and security of this generation of Canadians and the next.

To address the heart of the question, a price on carbon pollution has not just been endorsed by some of Canada's largest employers but by labour, people of all political stripes, and many other corners of Canadian society. For example, Mark Cameron, the former policy adviser to the prime minister, said, “Federal carbon price plan looks like a good start”.

I could not agree more. The president of the Canadian Labour Congress commented that the “carbon pricing announcement is an important and necessary step for our government to take towards meeting our Paris commitments”.

He is right. As the Prime Minister has said, “you cannot make a choice between what's good for the environment and what's good for the economy.” The choice between job creation and environmental protection is a false one.

In today's world, world economic development and environmental sustainability must go hand in hand. Strong environmental policies, including a price on carbon pollution, are crucial for generating the type of support that is required for major projects, and ultimately, for Canada as a whole to get resources to market in an efficient and sustainable way. Our focus is on taking real, concrete, and lasting action to reduce our emissions, grow our economy, and create good-paying middle-class jobs.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that they are taking real, concrete action.

One of the real, concrete actions I would appreciate is a meeting between the minister and stakeholders from my riding. We have been advocating for this for quite a while. I would really like to see this.

Twenty thousand people in my riding are directly involved in the forestry industry. The spinoff jobs that come from it are about 173,000 jobs in northern Alberta. It is a huge part of our economy, and it is imperative that we get what we need done in terms of a plan that works for everybody.

I do not deny that the environment and the economy go hand in hand. That is why in northern Alberta, we have what we call forestry management areas, and those areas have a 100-year plan in order for them to harvest the trees in a sustainable manner, taking into account the species that live within those forests. We have a good plan in place. We just need to ensure that we do not get a top-down approach from the federal government.

[Kim Rudd, Liberal, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague opposite that the forestry sector is indeed a very important part of our economy.

I want to say that we are focused on supporting middle-class Canadians and their families at every stage of their lives. Not only did the Conservatives vote against the Paris Agreement, but when it comes to middle-class Canadians, they opposed our government's reducing taxes for nine million Canadians and a Canada child benefit that helps nine out of 10 Canadian families and will help raise 300,000 children out of poverty.

That is not all. They also voted against enhancements to student loans that will help 250,000 Canadians. Our government is focused on both protecting our environment and growing our economy while helping the middle class and those working hard to join it.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:34 p.m.)