Yeah, I am still going. Mr. Speaker, of course we Conservatives hope the government can show Canadians that big, audacious, nation-building projects can get approved and built in competitive timelines by the private sector, not by taxpayers. We take seriously our constitutionally bound duty and role to oppose, but we also take seriously our job to propose solutions in the best interests of all Canadians, so I will now. The Liberals will need to fix Bill C-5 and make it transparent, clear and certain.
Here is what Liberal amendments must address and clarify: the definition of national interest; transparency of the project list; fulfillment of the duty to consult, not an advisory board; concrete two-year timelines and a timeline on the final decision by cabinet after a recommendation; application of the Conflict of Interest Act and screens for politically connected insider proponents; and clarity about the mandate for regulatory reviews to monitor and ensure actual deliverables are achieved on time and on budget, hopefully not on taxpayers' backs.
The real, fundamental, permanent solution for confidence and certainty in Canada is to repeal, or amend significantly, all of the acts and policies that the Liberals admit, through Bill C-5, are barriers to build, and not on a short-term, ad hoc, case-by-case basis, almost all of the details of which would be determined after the bill is law, through policy and regulations. That means politicians and bureaucrats would do all of this secretly and differently with each project. I guess that approach fits, since neither the Prime Minister nor the minister seem to be fond of answering questions from Canadians, or maybe just from women. They both constantly repeat that they will not negotiate in public about their interactions with the U.S., which, by the way, Canadians deserve to know about. Their MO already seems to be just like the old guys. It is backroom deals, and that is what Bill C-5 is.
The government should cut Canada's industrial carbon tax that punishes hard work, which none of our main competitors have. It smothers Canadian steel, aluminum, natural gas, food production and cement. It chokes competitiveness and forces companies to lay off workers, move operations abroad and leave towns behind. That is not “think globally, act locally” environmental stewardship; it's economic self-sabotage. A Canadian government should put Canadian workers, Canadian industries and Canadian producers first.
The government should set a clear six-month target, with a one-year maximum, to approve major projects, just as Conservatives proposed. Investors cannot wait 10 years for answers or keep giving the same information repeatedly to regulators to be denied or sent back to the beginning at any time. Delay means defeat. Projects need certainty. Workers need timelines. Resources need action. The government must stop talking and start approving. Canada needs a Canada-first, multi-use, national energy corridor and shovel-ready economic zones to unlock our potential, east to west, north to south, pipelines, power lines, highways and rail built to connect, not divide, built to move resources from the source to the world, built for Canadian prosperity, sovereignty and unity.
Conservatives believe in common-sense solutions. Without a doubt, Canadians deserve better. They deserve strong paycheques, real jobs, energy independence, self-sufficiency, security and national unity. Only Conservatives have fought to achieve Canadians' ambitions and to restore Canada's promise through responsible resource development, every single day, in every single way. Only Conservatives will stand with the workers who power this country, the families who depend on them and the businesses that need them. Conservatives will fight for a real plan that unleashes Canadian potential, restores Canada's promise, strengthens our economy and builds a proud, united, powerful and self-reliant Canada.