Madam Speaker, what good does it do the provinces to spend $34 billion on a pipeline and now to invest another $43 billion in a new pipeline? Does it generate such fabulous revenues that the provinces end up swimming in economic benefits? Definitely not.
The people raking in the profits today are the oil and gas companies. Why are they unwilling to pay for their own infrastructure? The one fundamental principle of capitalism is that a capitalist stakes their own money. They are the ones taking the risk. Now, the federal government is taking the risk on behalf of an industry, the oil and gas industry, that is destined to disappear within the next 30 years, using Quebeckers' and Canadians' money. Worse still, the biggest unions recently appeared before the Standing Committee on Natural Resources and said they are seeing an increase in production in the oil and gas sector, but a decrease in jobs. The gall of these people, to be willing to invest in automating their processes so they can get by with fewer employees, but unwilling to pay one damn penny for their infrastructure. If the member for Winnipeg North is fine with that, I think we have a serious problem.