Jonathan Wilkinson

[Natural Resources, December 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, we are seized with a number of the issues raised by my hon. colleague. We are working very hard to support the endeavours of the industry and of workers and communities across western Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador. We raise these issues at every possible opportunity.

I raised a number of concerns with respect to the sector, including Line 5, with my colleague Secretary Granholm when I met with her at COP26, and we will certainly continue to advocate on behalf of Canadian interests.

[Natural Resources, November 30th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the government is working with the industry, including Trans Mountain, to decarbonize the energy sector and cap emissions while still remaining competitive and maintaining energy security, affordability and market access. The Trans Mountain expansion allows us to use the resources we have now and the revenue they have generated to fund tomorrow's green energy solutions. We must work together with all Canadians and all regions across the country.

[Natural Resources, November 30th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, a global effort is under way to stop climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions. As Her Excellency the Governor General mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, our government will cap emissions from the energy sector in a way that will protect both jobs and the environment. We are committed to capping and reducing emissions in the energy sector by 2050, and the entire country will, of course, be carbon neutral.

[Climate Change, November 29th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, we welcome the report from the commissioner. While we agree with a number of the commissioner's observations with regard to the structuring of ongoing programming, I think it is important to remember that this particular program was intended to be a temporary COVID response measure to sustain jobs for workers and communities at a time of record low and, at times, negative energy prices, and to ensure continued action on methane pollution reduction. This program has reduced about 4.6 megatonnes of methane.

That being said, the worst of the pandemic is behind the oil sector with respect to profitability and cash flow. In that light, we have commenced a review of the program and—

[Natural Resources, November 26th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, as someone who grew up in Saskatoon and in the hon. member's riding, I certainly understand the importance of the nuclear industry in this country. Certainly, Cameco and other organizations in Saskatchewan are important drivers of economic opportunity for Saskatchewan families. Nuclear is an important part of the electricity grid in this country. This government has invested in the development of small modular reactors. We look forward to seeing those things demonstrated and ultimately commercialized. We look forward to moving forward with non-emitting technologies to ensure that we are fighting climate change, but doing so in a manner that promotes economic progress.

[The Environment, November 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, we certainly welcome the report by the commissioner, and my officials are presently reviewing its recommendations. While we agree with a number of the commissioner's observations with regard to ongoing programming, one must remember that this particular program was a temporary COVID response measure and was intended to do two things: sustain jobs for workers and communities at a time of record low energy prices and ensure continued action on methane pollution at a time of economic crisis. This program has succeeded in those two elements, but we are now beyond the worst of COVID, and the oil and gas sector has certainly improved in terms of economic prospects. We have now commenced a review of the future of this program and the remaining funding.

[Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, June 22nd, 2021]

moved:

That Bill C-12, in Clause 22, be amended by replacing subsection (2) with the following:

(2) The Minister must make the annual report available to the public within 30 days of receiving it and then, within 120 days of receiving that report, the Minister must publicly respond to the advice that the advisory body includes in it with respect to matters referred in paragraphs 20(1)(a) to (c), including any national greenhouse gas emissions target that is recommended by the advisory body if the Minister has set a target that is different from it.

That Bill C-12 be amended by replacing, in the French version, Clause 27.1 with the following:

27.1 Cinq ans après la date d’entrée en vigueur de la présente loi, un examen approfondi de ses dispositions et de son application est fait par un comité soit du Sénat, soit de la Chambre des communes, soit mixte, que le Sénat, la Chambre des communes ou les deux chambres, selon le cas, désignent ou constituent à cette fin.

[Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, June 22nd, 2021]

moved:

That Bill C-12, in Clause 7, be amended by replacing subclause (4) with the following:

(4) The Minister must set the national greenhouse gas emissions target

(a) for the 2035 milestone year, no later than December 1, 2024;

(b) for the 2040 milestone year, no later than December 1, 2029; and

(c) for the 2045 milestone year, no later than December 1, 2034.

[Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, June 22nd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, ultimately we live in a democratic society, and it is the government that is going to have to be held accountable for its ability to live up to the commitments it makes under this law.

What this law requires is an enormous amount of transparency and accountability through all of the measures I just mentioned, and it provides the information on which the voters of this country, who are the ones who will make the decision about how urgent and how important this issue is, as they rightly should in a democratic society, will make the decision.

As I said before, we will never again in this country have a government like that of Stephen Harper, which essentially set a target, pretended it was an issue, pretended it was important, but never had a plan and never made progress.

[Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, June 22nd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, to argue a lack of accountability mechanisms in the bill, I would just suggest to my hon. colleague that he read the bill again.

It is a legally binding process for the federal government to set climate targets and to bring forward plans every five years, three different progress reports between now and 2030, a 2030 assessment report that has to be tabled within 30 days of the 2030 national inventory report, an annual report detailing how the federal government is managing financial risks of climate change, each year the minister has to respond to the report of the net-zero advisory body and the Minister of Environment has asked, and the bill requires, the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development provide a report by the end of 2024. There is an enormous number of accountability mechanisms, and I just would ask my colleague to review the legislation again.