With regard to the approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Project and the work of the Ministerial Review Panel appointed by the government in this matter: (a) can construction of a new Trans Mountain Pipeline be reconciled with Canada’s climate change commitments; (b) in the absence of a comprehensive national energy strategy, how can policy-makers effectively assess projects such as the Trans Mountain Pipeline; (c) how might Cabinet square approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline with its commitment to reconciliation with First Nations and to the UNDRIP principles of “free, prior, and informed consent”; (d) given the changed economic and political circumstances, the perceived flaws in the National Energy Board process, and also the criticism of the Ministerial Panel’s own review, how can Canada be confident in its assessment of the project’s economic rewards and risks; (e) if approved, what route would best serve aquifer, municipal, aquatic and marine safety; and (f) how does federal policy define the terms “social licence” and “Canadian public interest” and their inter-relationships?
In the House of Commons on June 11th, 2018. See this statement in context.