Mr. Speaker, we could be debating legislation tonight that would retroactively remedy or say that the tanker ban analysis that was done was complete and get the shovels in the ground tonight. If the government had appealed the Supreme Court decision and ordered a stay, we could have had shovels in the ground tonight.
The reality is that the Prime Minister and the finance minister expect to go to Calgary and be met with adulation, and thanked for their presence. The people in my community are smart. They understand what the government could have done if it had the political will to get this thing done. It is either in the national interest or it is not. We cannot have it both ways.
If Liberals are serious about building these things, they need to use every tool at their disposal to get this done, including having the political will to legislate on these things. They cannot let the court do their dirty work for them in the long-term, without taking direction here in this place. That is what they failed to do. It is unconscionable. It is unacceptable, and they need to go.