House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 46% of the vote.
The Economy April 19th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives had 10 years to build a pipeline to ship Canada's resources to new global markets. They built zero. The Conservatives had 10 years to consult indigenous and local communities. They ignored them. The Conservatives had 10 years to end the discount on Canadian crude. They did not.
Natural Resources April 19th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, during the 10 years of the Harper Conservatives' administration there was not one kilometre of pipe built to open up export markets. At the same time, they systematically ignored their constitutional responsibilities to consult with indigenous communities, and paid no attention to environmental stewardship. That is one strike, two strikes, three strikes.
Natural Resources April 19th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, we have the approval of several pipelines in Alberta, the support of Keystone XL, and the approval of the Trans Mountain expansion, all at the same time as a $1.5-billion investment in the oceans protection plan to accommodate an increase in traffic of one tanker a day, with world-class spill response. We understand that we have to talk about environmental stewardship, economic growth, and indigenous partnership all at the same time.
After the next question, we will talk about their government's record.
Natural Resources April 19th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, the only people who have no confidence in the Alberta economy are the Conservatives. It is a little strange, because the facts make the point. There are 50,000 new jobs. Alberta is set to lead Canada in growth in 2018. We could talk about the growth of the Canadian economy, too. We could talk about 600,000 new jobs that Canadians have created since 2015. We could talk about leading the industrialized world in economic growth. It is just too bad that this pride and optimism—
Natural Resources April 18th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, in addition to the oceans protection plan, there will be additional funding for Western Canada Marine Response, which will provide marine safety. It played a critical role in our decision in this project, and is facilitating an investment of $150 million to establish six new response bases in British Columbia, 135 new personnel, 43 new vessels, including spill response craft and barges. All new personnel, facilities, and equipment will be in place several months before there is any increase in traffic associated with the expansion.
Natural Resources April 18th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, that sevenfold increase is from five to 35 a month, so one tanker a day.
The $1.5 billion oceans protection plan strengthens the eyes and the ears of the Coast Guard to ensure better communication with vessels. It adds new radar sites in strategic locations. It puts more enforcement officers on the coast. It adds more primary environmental response teams to bolster Coast Guard capacity. It invests in new technology. We are conducting scientific research to make cleanups more effective. We reopened the Kitsilano Coast Guard station that was—
Mr. Speaker, I am sure the member opposite, who comes from Alberta, would know that Alberta has created 15,000 new jobs in 2017. I am sure she also knows that Alberta will lead Canada in growth in 2018. Why would she not celebrate that?
I understand that the past 10 years of the Harper government were no reason to celebrate, but the future of Alberta is—
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is offering an expansion of export markets and a more certain process, which is just what the member opposite has asked for.
It is also a little hard to understand why it is that the members of the Conservative Party, many of whom are from Alberta, do not have confidence in Alberta's capacity to innovate and the entrepreneurship of Albertans. It was the very innovation of entrepreneurs in Alberta that unlocked the key to these vast resources. We have confidence in the entrepreneurship of Alberta. It is very surprising that members opposite do not.
Mr. Speaker, I did not know that the member opposite had other powers and could do some kind of psychoanalysis across these 100 metres, but Canadians will understand.
We will say it as many times as the members opposite want to pose the question: the government is committed to the energy sector. I have just given tens of thousands of reasons that the workers in Alberta and in British Columbia are seeing that things are getting better. Thousands of jobs have been created over the last number of months, and we are confident that the entrepreneurship and the innovation genius of the people of Alberta will grow.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister makes the same speech in Nanaimo, in Vancouver, in Fort McMurray, in Calgary, in Edmonton, in Winnipeg, and St. John's, Newfoundland, because he is delivering a message to all Canadians, and that message is that in 2018, environmental stewardship and the economy is one conversation. I am very anxious to hear members of the Conservative Party talk about the importance of the $1.5-billion investment in the oceans protection plan.