Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with my hon. colleague, the member for Foothills.
This is an incredibly sombre debate to be entering into. It is one of those weeks that as an elected official we hope we never encounter. Let me describe that.
Last Tuesday it was revealed, through a leak from the White House, that Keystone XL would be axed with the stroke of a pen by the new U.S. President. I started to hear from constituents. Canadians need to understand that about 1,000 of those layoffs that took place last Wednesday took place in Battle River—Crowfoot.
As I talked to pipefitters, welders, heavy equipment operators and labourers who worked directly on that pipeline, uncertainty ruled the day. In many cases, it was not just uncertainty in terms of their immediate future. The Keystone project had been a godsend for them after half a decade of uncertainty. Talking to those directly affected was heartbreaking, to say the least.
Then I talked to a single mom who, because of an uptick in the economic fortunes of the region, saw the ability to send her kids to piano lessons for the first time in a long time. Once again, that was called into question.
I talked to seniors who, in some cases, for the first time in years did not have to worry about whether to pay the power bill or put groceries in the fridge, because a Keystone XL employee was boarding in their house.
Hotels that were empty, especially in an industry devastated by COVID, finally had people staying in them. Grocery stores, tire shops, small business owners saw there was once again a glimmer of hope in the midst of very challenging times.
On a number of occasions I have talked about the energy industry, and will continue to boast about our world-class energy industry. However, I want to start my speech that way because this is not simply an issue of a pipeline. This is a very human issue that has a particular impact in my constituency where there is now literally 200 kilometres of pipe. For some context, the Alberta side of this project is entirely located within my constituency. The genesis of the pipeline is at Hardisty. It is an incredible place. I would invite members, especially those critical of the industry we are talking about today, to come to Hardisty, Alberta to see the world-class industry in action. That is where the pipeline starts.
It makes its way southeast through my constituency, near my hometown, where my family still farms, all the way to the Saskatchewan border, where it was meant to continue to the United States. There are massive human costs to the cancellation of this project, and I have outlined a few of those today.
I listened carefully to the debate. The Liberal member and parliamentary secretary talked about how he thought somehow we were playing politics with this issue. I hope I have started to humanize this very real issue and show how it is not politics; it is about the livelihood of Canadians.
Starting last May, the Prime Minister and his Liberal government had the opportunity, knowing that there was an American election under way, to engage with American counterparts, putting politics aside, to stand up for what was in the best interests of Canada.
I find it interesting that the Minister of Natural Resources and other Liberals today have somehow been making the case that this is what they have been doing. A phone call to the President admitting defeat does not count as standing up for an industry or standing up for those thousands of jobs that were lost last week. It is incredibly troubling.
Over the last number of months, during an election in the United States, the transition that took place, leading up to the swearing in of the new administration this past week, the government should have been fighting for Canadians. I am not asking for anything special. I am acknowledging the fact that the Liberals failed to do just that.
The number of conversations I have had in this last week bring a heartbreaking reality to light. The government has failed. I have heard a lot of discussion today about the oil industry and how it is time to move on. In fact, a member from the Bloc said that this project was doomed to fail. Eleven months ago when we were debating the Teck Frontier project, which was also cancelled, we heard similar language.
The environmental activists green left in the country, of which there are many in the Liberal Party unfortunately, are conflating the volatility of market investment with government policy that is systematically bent on destroying an industry, one of the legacy industries in my constituency. It is a national shame that this is the case.
I can assure members that there is a business case for these projects: Teck Frontier, hundreds of millions dollars spent in the application process; hundreds of millions of dollars spent by TC Energy in the Keystone XL. Time and time again, other projects have been cancelled. Hundreds of millions of dollars were written off for energy east. That is not because a business case did not exist. That is because the Liberal government has made it impossible for that investment to succeed. It is a national tragedy.
I want to talk about something that is very real. As I mentioned earlier, the previous Liberal speaker mentioned how somehow Conservatives from Alberta, from the west, were playing politics with the idea of separation. I am a proud Canadian through and through. What breaks my heart is that multi-generational Canadians come to me and they have given up on Canada. Many more say that they are ready to give up on Canada. That is the legacy of both the Prime Minister and his father. This should not be a political issue. It is the sad reality of the circumstances we face.
The actions of the government are sowing the seeds of division in the country, dividing different segments. It is not just east versus west although that is certainly one of the most flagrant examples. It is rural versus urban, north versus south, rich versus poor. The government has been incredibly effective at dividing Canadians, and that is a shame. It should be the first priority of any government to be a leader to unite for the best interests of all. Unfortunately, we have seen absolutely the opposite of that.
For those people who are now facing uncertainty in their personal lives, not sure how to pay the next rent, the next grocery bill, those who will not be able to get their kids in piano lessons, for those who have given up on Canada as a federation, I implore members opposite to take note of the seeds of division that have been sowed.
When it comes to what needs to be done, we need a pipeline. I know my other colleagues have articulated very well the reasons for that, but we need a pipeline because it is what is best for Canada.
