Erin Weir

[Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1, June 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the CCF agrees to apply and will vote no.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1, June 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the CCF agrees to apply the vote and will be voting no.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1, June 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the CCF will be voting yes.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1, June 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the CCF is good to apply—

[Infrastructure, June 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, with the U.S. imposing tariffs on steel, one way to offset lost exports is to ensure public infrastructure is built with Canadian steel. Last week I asked about Regina steel for Trans Mountain. Two years ago I asked why less than 20% of the steel in the new Champlain Bridge would be made in Canada.

In response to Trump's tariffs, will the government finally increase the amount of Canadian steel used in federal infrastructure projects?

[The Environment, May 29th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as you may have heard, the government announced today that it would buy the Trans Mountain pipeline. Far be it from the CCF to question nationalization.

Could the minister confirm that the new federal crown corporation will honour the existing contract to buy 75% of the project's steel from Regina and make every effort to procure the remaining 25% from Canadian mills?

[Natural Resources, May 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the response from the parliamentary secretary. She made the point that the government views the Trans Mountain expansion as a major source of jobs in Canada and that it will create jobs in Regina to the extent that it is built with steel pipe manufactured at Evraz.

That is exactly what I am trying to ensure. The parliamentary secretary repeats the answer that the contract has already been signed for Regina steel, and that is true if we are talking about Kinder Morgan completing the project. However, the parliamentary secretary also raised the possibility of extending the indemnity to other investors that might take over the project.

In that scenario, would the government make the indemnity conditional on those other investors honouring the existing commitment to use Canadian-made steel?

[Natural Resources, May 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the province of Saskatchewan is currently struggling with a weak economy and a lagging job market. Earlier this week, Statistics Canada reported that over the past year, Saskatchewan was the only province other than Newfoundland and Labrador to suffer from a drop in wholesale trade. A major component of wholesale trade in Saskatchewan and of employment in Regina is steel production.

Since being elected, I have advocated strongly for the use of Canadian-made steel in public infrastructure projects as well as in pipeline projects over which the federal government has regulatory authority. Canadian-made steel is much cleaner and safer than steel imported from offshore.

Thanks in part to political pressure, Kinder Morgan decided to build most of the Trans Mountain expansion using steel pipe manufactured in Regina. Of course, that project is now in doubt, which has put in doubt the largest contract that would keep Regina's steel mill operating for the coming months and years.

The federal government has tried to support that project by offering an indemnity for the Trans Mountain expansion, not just to Kinder Morgan but also to other potential investors in the project. A concern I have is that those other investors might try to cut costs and corners by instead building the Trans Mountain expansion with pipe imported from offshore. This would, of course, increase safety concerns about the project. It is also the case that manufacturing a tonne of steel and shipping it here from China emits five times as much carbon as manufacturing it in Regina.

For those environmental and safety reasons, as well as to support Canadian jobs, I have suggested that the federal government make its indemnity for the Trans Mountain expansion conditional upon any potential investor in the project honouring the existing commitment to use Canadian-made steel. When I put that question to the Minister of Natural Resources earlier this week, his response was to say, “Well, the contract for steel has already been signed, and that's a good thing for Regina.”

That answer certainly is correct if Kinder Morgan continues to complete the Trans Mountain expansion, but that answer does not address the scenario that the government itself has raised of other investors coming in and taking over the project. It is for that reason that I would like to see the federal government use its indemnity as leverage to try to ensure that any prospective investor in the Trans Mountain expansion would honour the existing contract with Evraz to build the pipeline expansion using steel manufactured in Canada, which of course supports Canadian jobs, gives us assurance about safety, and also emits far less carbon than bringing in the material from offshore.

I and the people of Regina are very curious to hear from the Minister of Natural Resources as to whether, in fact, he is prepared to use the indemnity in that way.

[Natural Resources, May 22nd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, last week the government announced that it will indemnify the Trans Mountain expansion. Kinder Morgan had contracted to build most of the project using steel pipe manufactured in Regina, which is cleaner and safer than offshore steel. To support Canadian jobs, will the government make its indemnity conditional upon any potential investor in Trans Mountain upholding the existing commitment to use Canadian-made steel?

[Saskatchewan Transportation Company, May 10th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, 86 years ago this month, the the parliamentary caucus of a new political party was formed. The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation went on to adopt its policy manifesto in Regina. The CCF was a farmer-labour coalition.

A current issue that engages farm and labour interests is the elimination of the Saskatchewan Transportation Company. It provided good unionized jobs for bus operators as well as a needed service for rural communities.

In a member's statement a year ago, I warned that the rushed elimination of the STC violated the Canada Labour Code's notice provisions. Yesterday news broke that a federal arbitrator confirmed this violation and ordered the province to compensate its former employees. That is a good start, but I will continue to fight for Saskatchewan's fair share of federal transit funding to restore bus service between our communities.