Mr. Speaker, we all know that the oil and gas sectors in Alberta and Saskatchewan in particular, and in British Columbia, have generated billions upon billions of dollars in equalization payments because of the success of the oil and gas industry. They have been left completely out of the loop under the current Liberal government, and that goes right back to its election five years ago, with its “no more pipelines” bill and banning of tankers on the west coast.
These antidevelopment and antiresource policies of the Liberals are hurting all of Canada, not just the workers and industries in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
We need to work with the sector to ensure that workers are fully employed and that everybody is benefiting from this great resource that we have locked in the ground. Leaving it there and using foreign oil is not the answer, but that is exactly what the Prime Minister wants to do.