Madam Speaker, I will start off by saying that I really did not think my first speech of 2021 would be given during an emergency debate about a decision our American neighbours made. I would have preferred an emergency debate about a green, fair recovery. I think that would be more apropos, and that is what we should be aiming for.
Of course, U.S. President Joe Biden's wise decision is not uncontroversial. Many people are unhappy about it, including the Premier of Alberta, and it has left many politicians feeling perplexed even though President Biden made promises about the project during his election campaign and kept them. For years, Joe Biden has made no bones about his position on the project and his commitment to protecting the environment.
His decision, the reason we are still here this evening, is a clear break with the administration of his predecessor, Donald Trump, on the issue of fighting climate change. It should come as no surprise to anyone. Our climate reality is nothing short of critical, and anyone who believes the experts, the science and the data collected around the world on this subject welcomes Joe Biden's decision as excellent news.
However, the problem—and I am not sure how to explain it anymore—is that while the Keystone XL project does create jobs, it is an extension of an existing pipeline. We do not need to expand pipeline networks, but rather transition away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible.
These past few months I have already talked about the impressive, even encouraging, number of central banks and private investors that have definitively shifted their funds towards other energy portfolios. Instead of starting over again, let us turn our attention to another subject, namely the uneasiness that some people feel about this courageous decision.
The Prime Minister is disappointed, but should he not be thrilled about such a decision being prioritized? After all, this makes the new President of the United States an unequivocal ally of the man who, here in Canada, presents himself as a champion for climate change. Instead, the Prime Minister has claimed that the last five years have shown that investing in oil and gas and fighting climate change can go hand in hand. It is incredible to me that anyone would put all of that in the same sentence.
We think President Biden has guts because this decision comes with its share of controversy and sticking points. At least he has the courage to make fighting climate change a priority in his administration, right behind dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we know, the pandemic is worrisome in the United States. The lax attitude of the previous administration will have consequences, as will Trump's climate change denial. The U.S. economy will go through dark periods and U.S. and Canadian elected officials will have to devote a lot of attention to ensuring employment stability. We want jobs and we do not want to see Albertans or anyone else suffer as a result of this project ending, although that is inevitable I am afraid.
However, I wonder why Alberta Premier Jason Kenney sunk so much public money into this project. Why did he not instead invest that money in retraining workers in the oil and gas sector and developing geothermal energy? How could he not know the current extent of climate change and the scientific projections of what lies ahead for us? How could he not know that the good old days of developing crude bitumen, the most polluting fossil fuel there is, are over?
President Biden's decision is based on two things. First, he has real concerns about climate change. Second, domestic production in the United States makes them 95% independent so the existing pipelines are sufficient. As far as the well-paying, unionized jobs that the leader of the official opposition was talking about are concerned, that is on Mr. Kenney and TransCanada PipeLines. In the United States, the Biden administration has announced a $2-trillion-U.S. climate plan.
The will to innovate and develop certain sectors of the economy will foster the creation of different jobs that will likely be compatible with the trades required for Keystone XL. I have already spoken about skills used in the fossil fuel sector that are transferable to renewable energies such as geothermal, solar and wind. I wager that American teams will quickly move to plan B, which will promote a greener economy.
I have trouble understanding what we are accomplishing by holding an emergency debate on a decision made by President Biden. To be honest, I want to ask my hon. colleagues to not just respect the new president's commendable decision, but to be inspired by it. Yes, we should be inspired. When a promise is made, it must be kept. Even if it is not popular, a promise must be kept if the person who made it is elected.
For more than 60 years, Alberta's economy has been used to turn profits for oil companies and create prosperity for Albertans. However, this prosperity is coming to an end. Successive governments all bet on a resource that they believed to be inexhaustible. Even the Heritage Savings Trust Fund did so, but I think we would feel discouraged if we were to talk about it. Did Mr. Kenney fail to carefully think through his commitments? When it comes to energy and natural resources, public money should only be used to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
I have news for my colleagues who say that Biden's decision weakened our trade relations with our neighbours. Access to renewable energy resources and expertise will be a perfect fit for the Americans. The daily newspaper Le Devoir explored this at length in its “perspectives” column last Saturday. Although it is a daunting task, greening the U.S. economy is not impossible. A challenge of this magnitude ought not be politicized, and the same could be said for the Canadian economy. This welcome transformation of the world's largest economy could also stimulate the development of renewable energy in Canada. There you have it; that is all that needs to be said, at least for tonight.
Could we listen to reason and to science, research, international organizations, experts who protect our environment, as well as investors and banks? The oil sands are finished.