Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House to speak to the motion before us today. This afternoon, we have heard a lot about combatting climate change, even though the motion is primarily about pipelines and oil. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how the Conservatives wanted to present this motion. They want more pipelines. They want to bring back energy east in Quebec. That pipeline was shut down because it was not financially or environmentally viable and because it does not contribute to the fight against climate change. The pipeline also did not have public support, yet the Conservatives want to bring it back.
The Conservatives are kind of funny. They are like firefighters who start fires. They say that they are going to present a plan to combat climate change, yet today they mostly talked about pipelines. Strangely enough, I do not understand how more pipelines will help us combat climate change. I think they would do the opposite.
Most members of Parliament are not scientists. Some of us are, but we do not carry out studies on climate change on a daily basis. However, hundreds of scientists around the world did carry out climate change studies this year and last year. They say that climate action is necessary to avert disaster.
Just this year, the floods in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick reminded us just how important climate action is and showed us the very real impact of climate change. Drummondville, in Drummond, went through multiple freeze-thaw cycles, which was very hard on the roads. The potholes are unlike anything we have seen before. This shows just how serious climate change is.
Scientists are telling us the opposite of what the Conservatives are saying. The first thing to do is put a price on carbon, but not the way the Liberals did. They decided it should not apply to the major greenhouse gas emitters because that would have an impact on the economy. Come on. It takes pressure on the economy for it to make the transition to a green, low-carbon economy. It is important that everyone, including major emitters, pay a price on carbon. That was one Liberal mistake.
Still on the topic of carbon pricing, scientists are also saying that the oil and gas industry must be integrated into our climate policies. The Liberals did exactly the opposite by purchasing a pipeline for $4.3 billion, which runs directly counter to the fight against climate change. On top of that, they continue to subsidize pipelines to the tune of over $1 billion. Subsidies to the fossil fuel industry are worth between $1.5 billion and $1.7 billion annually. This flies in the face of any efforts to combat climate change.
Scientists tell us we need an ambitious target. Unfortunately, our target is the weak goal of reducing our emissions by 30% by 2030. What is more, we will not achieve it. The commissioner of the environment says that it will take us hundreds of years to achieve that target. None of this makes sense. The Liberals went to Paris to sign the Paris Agreement on behalf of Canadians, but the feeble 30% target they cribbed from Stephen Harper will not enable them to keep the promise they made when they signed the agreement. For that, Canada would have to reduce its GHG emissions by at least 45% by 2030.
Building more pipelines is not going to help us fight climate change. We need an ambitious plan, and the NDP will soon be unveiling just such a plan.