Madam Speaker, I am first going to take exception to the use of language like “climate emergency” to describe the real problems of climate change. Often I get emails and they are usually form emails from people who have good-hearted concerns about the environment. They are worried about climate change. I believe, in their hearts, they really are worried, but the language of “emergency” and “crisis” is often used to suggest massive government interference in the economy and the government dictating to provinces and companies what they will and will not do. I reject the whole premise underlying the notion that this is the only way we can address climate change as an issue.
I also want to reject the notion that it is up to the government to provide what is called a “just transition”, which I think is a very subjective term in the first place. We have people who are looking to international markets and the International Energy Agency says that for the foreseeable future, the demand for both natural gas and oil is going up, not down.
The expectation all across the world is that the world will need more energy, not less. Why not just make more of all of it, whether it is renewable energy through wind and solar or fossil fuels? We can do those at the same time and manage those different expectations people have, while trying to do our best to meet our Paris accord goals.