Debates of Sept. 23rd, 2025

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we also met at committee this week with the pea producers, and the situation is really dire there as well. The tariffs China has imposed on the sector are really difficult.

These farmers will also be able to benefit from the support of the strategic response funds of $5 billion to affected sectors. It is not only canola. It is the pea sector as well. I would add that China also has unjustified tariffs on the pork industry.

Of course, we want the resolution of China withdrawing those tariffs. There is a diplomatic effort at all levels. When the conditions are right, the Prime Minister will meet his counterpart. We need to have a diplomatic solution and free those tariffs from the sector.

Natural Resources

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, when the Liberal government was first elected in 2015, it killed 16 major resource projects and chased $176 billion out of the Canadian economy. This resulted in thousands of lost jobs in my city alone, and Bill C-69 continues to make it impossible to build the pipelines needed to unleash our resources and restore our economic independence.

I asked in June whether the Prime Minister would commit on that day to cancelling Justin Trudeau's “no more pipelines” bill, Bill C-69. The response from the new minister was to say:

We will support new pipelines if there is a national consensus in favour of them. With our country's facing American tariffs, we must strengthen our energy and natural resources sectors. There is no question that energy is Canada's power. We will help build the strongest economy in the G7, create jobs for Canadians and give the best cards to our negotiators at the negotiating table.

Canada's new government will win this trade war.

There is a lot to unpack in that response. To start with, the minister said, “if there is a national consensus”. They do not have a consensus even in their own caucus about pipelines. How are they going to have a consensus? The word “consensus” means that every single person agrees, and that is not a reasonable bar for the government, or any government, to set for whether there will be something as critical to our economy as pipelines to be built.

He talked about “the strongest economy in the G7”. Canada arguably has, and actually this is probably not even arguable but instead a fact, the weakest economy in the G7 right now. We have declining per capita GDP as we speak, and over the last number of years, while the government has been in power, Canadians have been getting poorer. Per capita GDP has been declining. This is a decline in the living standard of Canadians that the government has presided over.

Liberals are talking about jobs and about the importance of energy, but the government has spent literally 10 years chasing capital out of Canada, chasing jobs out of Canada and doing everything it can to strangle the energy industry in Canada. Therefore it is hard to take at face value the mixed words about claiming to support energy, when its response is, for example, to bring in a bill, Bill C-5, which gives the government the power to interfere politically, to decide and to pick and choose when it wants to dispense with the rule of its own laws and not apply the laws it created that are preventing private investors from building infrastructure in this country.

The government could just do as I asked in my question, or what we have been calling for for the last 10 years: Get rid of Bill C-69, get rid of Bill C-48, get rid of the emissions cap, get rid of the industrial carbon tax, get rid of the EV mandates, repeal the so-called clean fuel standard it brought in, rein in its spending, bring in a balanced budget, restore the public finances of the country, establish conditions upon which private investment can once again flourish in this country and get Canadians back to work in the energy industry so we can supply clean, reliable energy to the world.

[Claude Guay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that, thanks to the One Canadian Economy Act, voted for, I believe, with his support, we are getting projects off the ground faster. We are making Canada strong by strengthening our economy while protecting our land, our water and our people as we grow. The government's actions show exactly what kind of country we want to be: one that builds, works shoulder to shoulder across governments, protects our environment and respects indigenous rights every step of the way.

Let me say what I believe every member of the House knows: Canada is a nation built on ingenuity, resilience and the courage to seize new opportunities in the face of global challenges. At this transformative juncture, as the world adjusts to a dramatic realignment in trade, energy security and technology, Canadians expect their government to move boldly and responsibly, not only to protect our interests but also to build prosperity for all. Recent months have demonstrated just how vital Canada's energy sector is, not only here at home but also on the global stage.

Faced with punitive tariffs abroad, shifting geopolitics and new competition, the stakes for Canada's energy future have never been higher. Our allies are calling for energy they can trust, reliable, secure and low-carbon sources of energy that underpin economic sovereignty and security. Today I am proud to say that Canada has what it takes to rise to this challenge across conventional sources and in renewable and clean energies that promise growth and innovation for generations to come.

Our government is committed to strengthening Canada's position as an energy superpower. This is about our collective ability to take charge of our destiny, to build long-term prosperity and to support allies who depend on our resources.

Sovereignty, security and prosperity are more than mere words. They are the values that guide every one of our decisions. We are focused. Instead of getting bogged down in bureaucracy, we need to protect our economy and our environment in a way that actually benefits Canadians and the energy sector and that attracts investors from around the world and countries that want to buy our responsibly produced energy.

Collaboration is key to these changes. Greater flexibility in agreements with the provinces and territories under a “one project, one review” approach will require barriers to be removed. For businesses and communities, this means faster and fairer decision-making, which, as the Prime Minister has clearly stated, is one of the new government's key objectives. That is the intention of the Major Projects Office.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is as if the parliamentary secretary has no background information at all on the track record of the government he speaks for. He said in his response just now that our allies are calling for Canadian energy. Indeed, they are. They have been for 10 years, and this government, the government the parliamentary secretary speaks for, loudly told our allies that there was no business case for Canadian LNG. That is what the then prime minister of Canada had to say.

This government has been in power for 10 years, and it is as if there is some kind of out-of-body experience where the Liberals are not aware of who has been running the government for the past 10 years and who has been chasing away investment, including investment in LNG, which would supply the world with reliable Canadian energy.

[Claude Guay, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we in this new government are working side by side with indigenous people, provinces, territories and proponents to build rapidly and build the right way. That is why with the Building Canada Act, we are creating a process that truly reflects what Canadians want and what Canadians value: efficiency, common sense and a commitment to building Canada strong. It is also what investors around the world want: a commitment to doing what is right as we rapidly develop, produce and sell our natural resources. We are quickly advancing major projects while keeping our commitment to protecting the environment and respecting the rights of indigenous people.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m., pursuant to standing order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:55 p.m.)