Andrew Scheer

[Natural Resources, February 25th, 2020]

The minister does not seem to realize that he is part of the government that created the regime that forced Teck to pull out. It was the government's decision to wait months before making a final decision on Teck. It is not just his energy approvals process that is causing problems; it is also his signature policy, the carbon tax.

Yesterday, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled, “We recognize there may well be those who favour ending further oil and gas development and even shutting down the entire oil and gas industry. Chief amongst them would be Alberta's foreign oil and gas competitors.”

Why is the Prime Minister doing the dirty work of Canada's foreign competition?

[Natural Resources, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's weakness has emboldened these protesters. It took him days before he would even call them illegal. In the first two weeks, he was telling police not to do their job and not to move in and remove them.

It is not just his weakness that is affecting the blockades, it is also affecting important investments in our energy sector. The Teck mine had its application approved by an independent regulator. It was sitting on the cabinet table for months, since July.

Why did the Prime Minister wait so long before making a decision on Teck Frontier?

[Public Safety, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we know he is a teacher, because we have all seen his picture in the yearbook.

We know that he has taught protesters a valuable lesson. They can bring our economy to its knees and they can hold illegal blockades, holding up our rail traffic leading to layoffs, and he will do absolutely nothing.

Does the Prime Minister realize that his weakness has caused the situation to spiral out of control?

[Public Safety, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was a teacher before he got elected, and he has taught protesters a valuable lesson. They can hold illegal blockades—

[Natural Resources, February 24th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister does not understand that these decisions are a repudiation of his policies.

Teck Frontier was told that it had to lower its emissions, so it came up with industry leading standards and had the lowest intensity of emissions in the sector. It was told that it had to consult with indigenous communities. It did so and had partnership agreements with the 14 first nations communities that were affected by it. It was told that the Government of Alberta's industrial emitters policy would have to reach equivalency. That government granted that equivalency just last week.

What else was Teck Frontier supposed to do to get a project built in this country?

[Natural Resources, February 24th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister lets radical activists shut down the rail network and anti-energy activists write his government policies, the market certainly gets the message. Oil and gas projects are being built all over the world right now, just not in Canada under his watch. The reason is the current Liberal government.

Expenditures in the energy sector are $42 billion lower than in the previous government, and the Prime Minister has overseen over $100 billion in cancelled projects. Does the Prime Minister understand that, when it comes to ensuring that the environment and the economy go hand in hand, he is doing it wrong?

[Public Safety, February 24th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was willing to break the law, bend the rules and even fire his Attorney General when he was trying to do a favour for his corporate friends at SNC-Lavalin, but when thousands of energy sector jobs are at stake and when dozens of first nations communities will benefit from these energy projects, the Prime Minister does literally nothing.

Why is it that when it comes to his corporate, crony, insider friends, the Prime Minister is willing to break the law, but when it comes to providing hope and opportunity to thousands of Canadians, the Prime Minister refuses to uphold the law?

[Public Safety, February 24th, 2020]

Except, Mr. Speaker, these illegal blockades had nothing to do with reconciliation. If people in Ontario want to support reconciliation efforts, then they would listen to the members of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation who support the Coastal GasLink project. The problem is that there is now a clear playbook for radical activists to follow, and they know that the Prime Minister will do literally nothing as the economy is brought to its knees.

Knowing that there are future projects that may be proposed, what will the Prime Minister do differently in the future to prevent the types of layoffs and economic damage that these radical activists have caused?

[Public Safety, February 24th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the rail blockades have exposed the extent of the Prime Minister's weakness. He could have used the tools available to him to show that we, as a country, are governed by the rule of law.

Rather, he chose to side with the radical protesters who appropriated the first nations' claims. All those who dare suggest that the law be enforced are condemned.

Will the Prime Minister do things differently to stop these illegal blockades in the future?

[Public Safety, February 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is once again offering concessions to those who have more resolve than he does. Now the RCMP has been ordered to leave Wet'suwet'en territory, there are major questions about whether this project will actually go ahead.

The Prime Minister has already told these radical anti-energy protesters that he will not do anything to enforce the law. Those people are breaking the law and trying to hold up this important project.

Will he at least give a 100% guarantee that Coastal GasLink will be built, yes or no?