Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present the official opposition's dissenting report for the Special Joint Committee on the Exercise of Powers Under the Building Canada Act, Bill C-5. The committee heard that a minimum of 275 projects were submitted to the Major Projects Office in the last year. The federal government has made 22 related announcements, yet not one has a national interest designation, with not a single new project that was not already at end review stages or was not already being built.
Conservatives highlight potential conflicts of interest around seconded private sector and bank employees with salary top-ups; national security reviews, including Beijing's state-owned enterprise involvement in major projects; the role of the sovereign debt fund; and the federal government's refusal to confirm whether the Prime Minister considers a Pacific pipeline in Canada's national interest.
Conservatives put forward common-sense amendments to improve and pass Bill C-5, to define the national interest, to entrench promised two-year reviews in law, and on the federal Crown's duty to consult to get to “yes” in a good way with indigenous people on major projects. The Liberals defeated them.
Conservatives still call on the Liberals urgently to repeal or reform the 12 laws and seven regulations in Bill C-5 that Liberals admit block building. Conservatives will demand accountability, transparency and real deliverable action from the Liberals, not just photo ops, to ensure private sector projects can get built in Canada by Canadians for Canadians for self-reliance, affordability, national and economic unity, and to be stronger at home for unbreakable leverage abroad.