Jonathan Wilkinson

[Cancellation of Teck Frontier Mine Project, February 25th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, that is correct. It was actually elaborated on by the Notley government.

[Cancellation of Teck Frontier Mine Project, February 25th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, Alberta has done a number of things.

We are very much wanting to partner with the Government of Alberta. We are working on methane equivalency. We accepted the output-based system that Premier Kenney asked us to accept a couple of months ago. We are interested in moving forward in work on clean tech with the Alberta government, in which it has indicated strong interest.

Something that we have talked a lot about is the fact that many Canadian companies in the oil and gas sector have already committed to net zero by 2050. That includes Synovus, CNRL, MEG Energy and Shell Canada. A whole range of companies have actually done that.

Therefore, yes, we need to build on those kinds of actions to ensure we are driving climate action. We need to ensure we turn that into an opportunity with respect to economic development, because we are producing the most sustainable, most environmentally friendly resources in the world.

[Cancellation of Teck Frontier Mine Project, February 25th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I would actually agree with a number of the things my hon. colleague said. Certainly Alberta was one of the first to price industrial emissions, under the Notley government, and that was—

[Cancellation of Teck Frontier Mine Project, February 25th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, we know what the downsides are of not addressing climate change. The fundamental upside is that countries that actually take the lead in addressing climate change and developing solutions to address the climate challenge creates enormous economic opportunities going forward.

Already trillions of dollars of work is going on in the clean-tech space. There are 180,000 jobs in Canada that actually rely on clean tech. Estimates are that by 2030, it will be a $26 trillion market opportunity, but it is an opportunity that is available to companies and to countries that actually innovate and are leading, that get into the game soon.

Therefore, for Canada to ensure that it is successful as we move forward into a low-carbon future, we need to be part of that innovation, and that is something we are very focused on doing. We have spent over $3 billion in scaling up clean tech. We are focused very much on ensuring we are targeting the sectors where we need to make emissions reductions, but also ensuring we have products and services that we can export to the world.

[Cancellation of Teck Frontier Mine Project, February 25th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, we agree that there are significant challenges facing the Alberta economy, certainly much more significant than are facing many other parts of the Canadian economy. The Canadian economy itself created a million jobs over the last four years.

In Alberta, there has been a significant issue with respect to market conditions affecting the oil and gas sector, and it is incumbent on all governments to partner to respond to that. There are a number of ways in which we can respond, but first and foremost, we need to actually have a collaboration with the energy sector and with the Provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta on pathways to ensure the continued progress and success of the energy sector within the context of Canada's commitments with respect to climate that are based on science, not based on politics.

[Cancellation of Teck Frontier Mine Project, February 25th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

Climate change is definitely the greatest challenge of our time. We have implemented many measures and developed the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change, which includes 50 initiatives to fight climate change in all sectors of the economy. During the election campaign, we also promised to exceed the 2030 target and achieve net zero by 2050. We want to work very hard to reassure Canadians that we can achieve these targets, and we want to co-operate with all members in the House on this issue.

[Cancellation of Teck Frontier Mine Project, February 25th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I am not sure I fully understand why some of the comments need to be so personal in the House. I actually wrote that speech; it was not the Prime Minister's office.

I believe this debate was about the decision by Teck Resources to withdraw their project. As I have said a number of times in the House, that was the decision of the company. The CEO of Teck Resources pointed out very clearly a number of the issues with which we needed to deal. As he outlined in his letter, “global provider[s] of sustainable, climate-smart resources to support the world’s transition to a low carbon future” are critically important.

We need to move forward in a manner that will encourage the development of our energy industry in a way that is sustainable from a climate perspective. We need to engage that conversation. Simply sitting down and saying that we do not want to work on climate change is not going to solve the problem.

We are working to ensure that we are creating opportunities for the energy sector going forward in a manner that is consistent with our obligations to address the existential threat of climate change.

[Cancellation of Teck Frontier Mine Project, February 25th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, Canada's economy, among the 10 most prosperous in the world, was built in part by the wealth provided by our natural resources. Our resource sector provides tens of thousands of well-paying middle-class jobs to hard-working Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

At the same time, we know that the global fight against climate change to protect our natural environment and biodiversity are among the most pressing issues we face as human beings. Climate change is the existential threat of our age. It calls for effective, lasting action and clear-eyed, pragmatic policies that will measurably reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions over the years to come.

Canadians are increasingly recognizing the magnitude of the climate crisis.

Going forward, thoughtful Canadians understand that economic progress will need to take place within the frame of environmental sustainability. Certainly, in the case of the oil and gas sector, the investment community is telling all of us that future growth and prosperity will require reductions in our carbon emissions and overall environmental footprint.

The latest scientific report from the IPCC indicates that human activities have already caused 1° of global warming above pre-industrial levels. If global emissions continue to rise at their current rate, the world could see a 3° rise in warming by 2100.

The implications of this are very real. On average, Canada is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. A warmer climate will intensify weather extremes, result in sea level rises and reduce the amount of snow, ice and fresh water. Heatwaves will increase and contribute to droughts and wildfires.

It is no wonder that youth around the world are fed up with our generation not acting on the science we have before us and question whether they see a future in which they can contemplate having children of their own.

In the 2019 election, Canadians overwhelmingly voted for parties that offered ambitious climate plans.

The international community has also been coalescing around the issue, with 77 countries now committed to achieving net-zero by 2050. Our election platform reflected those concerns. During the campaign, we committed to two key climate policies: exceeding our target of 30% below 2005 levels by 2030, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

We have made a lot of progress since 2015. For the first time since then, our greenhouse gas emissions are dropping.

Early in our first mandate we developed the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change, the first real climate plan this country has ever had. It contains over 50 different measures, from phasing out coal, to major investments in public transit and electric vehicle infrastructure, to energy efficiency for buildings and industries.

We invested over $3 billion to scale up clean technology and put in place a national price on pollution, because there can be no credible plan to fight pollution if polluting is free.

In jurisdictions where the federal pricing system is in place, revenues are returned directly to the people, making 80% of families better off.

Perhaps the most important impact is the opportunity that a price on pollution creates for innovation. It prompts businesses to deploy their engineers and entrepreneurs to find solutions to reduce pollution.

Despite identifying over 200 megatonnes in emissions reductions through the framework, we need to identify an additional 77 megatonnes of emissions reductions just to hit our current 2030 target.

Meeting our 2030 target in itself will be a challenge, but it is a challenge Canada is ready to take on.

Developing a plan aligned with science to achieve net-zero by 2050 will be even harder given our vast geography, northern climate and reliance on a resource economy. What is exciting though is the conversation it allows us to have with provinces, companies and others about pathways for achieving our goal.

Achieving our climate goals requires cross-partisan leadership from every region of the country. We need a national consensus, a real team effort.

The enemy is climate change. It should not be each other.

That national consensus must include Canada's oil and gas sector. It must include provinces and territories. It must include our energy companies, exporters and explorers, and their employees. It must include the millions of Canadians who heat their homes and drive their cars with carbon-based fuels. It must include all of us.

Let me be clear: The Government of Canada remains committed to furthering Canada's natural resource sector to create good middle-class jobs. We recognize that, in the modern world, a strong economy and a clean environment must go hand in hand.

Some say these goals are irreconcilable. I disagree. In my conversations with resource sector leaders and western political leaders, I hear more and more about the importance of Canada to build its brand as the cleanest supplier of resources to remain competitive as the world transitions to a net-zero future. I agree with them.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce stated clearly that:

In order for our [provinces] and our country to thrive, we can and we must be able to lead in natural resource development and solve climate change through innovation. Canadian businesses know this, and the global marketplace is demanding it, yet the rhetoric by political leaders is severely hindering any future progress.

Hard-working families are paying the price.

In its letter to me, Teck also calls on us to develop a framework that reconciles economic development and environmental protection as the only path forward. The letter recognizes that Canada is “uniquely positioned”, with its abundant resources, to be that provider of “climate-smart resources” to global markets.

Canadians have the innovative spirit and know-how to provide the world with the most environmentally and socially responsible resources, and that is what we must strive for.

Canadian energy companies are among the most innovative in the world, and they can lead the way. A number of oil and gas companies, including Shell, Cenovus, CNRL and MEG Energy, have already committed to net-zero, as have companies in other sectors, such as Microsoft.

Achieving net-zero will require an economic and an environmental transformation and the mobilization of significant amounts of private capital. The Government of Canada is committed to working with Alberta, Saskatchewan and the resource sector, to ensure that the best projects get built so that we can create jobs and ensure clean, sustainable growth.

The best projects are those that have the lowest pollution per unit of production, develop a path to net-zero emissions and minimize impacts on biodiversity and the natural environment. In 2020, these conditions are increasingly non-negotiable. Leading money managers and investors like BlackRock are making sustainability and climate risk tenets of their investment strategy. They are pulling their money out of environmentally risky ventures and diverting to sustainable projects.

We are very concerned that times are tough in the resource sector and in Alberta due to market conditions. Let there be no mistake, our government stands with workers in Alberta, and with resource sector workers across the country. That is why we are moving forward with the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. This project is delivering nearly 3,000 jobs for Albertans today and will peak at 5,500 in the near term, which is important for Alberta and thus for all Canadians.

We also understand, and I believe most Albertans understand, that it is time Canadians had a much deeper and more thorough conversation about how we keep our energy sector competitive in a world moving to net-zero emissions by 2050. This is how we will protect well-paying resource jobs and create opportunities for the future.

The status quo no longer works. Consumers and the investment community are demanding change, and so are industry leaders, and that change must accelerate.

No one has a step-by-step guide to net zero. We must engage Canadians and experts to create credible pathways.

Certainly, a key component will be a focus on clean technology.

Hoping for technology to save us from the hard policy choices required to reduce emissions is not a climate plan. However, a thoughtful approach to clean tech must be a key part of an effective strategy to get to net-zero, and in particular to help us decarbonize key sectors of our economy. In the oil and gas sector, for example, exciting work is going on, not just on carbon capture, but on developing ways to extract energy value from natural resources without carbon pollution.

Canada needs to be the cleanest source of resources as we transition to a low-carbon future, and current projects need to also focus on continuous improvement. Partnering with industry on the development and commercialization of clean-tech solutions will create enormous opportunities to expand exports and jobs.

With sound investments, Canada can be a leader in clean technology. In fact, we already are.

Already, global markets for clean-tech and low-carbon goods and services generate trillions in revenue, and clean tech employs over 180,000 people here in Canada. Beyond taking action domestically, we believe that Canada must also work with like-minded countries to lead internationally.

The enormity of the work ahead requires that people from all backgrounds and all political affiliations pull in the same direction to ensure we can leave a healthy and sustainable world for our children.

Climate change should not be a partisan issue; it is a science issue. We all have a role to play in de-partisanizing climate. A generation ago Canadians were deeply divided about free trade, yet today we have a national consensus on the desirability of free trade in North America and with our international partners. That national consensus offers us a model and an example to follow.

I invite my colleagues from across the House to work with us to tackle the greatest challenges of our time.

[Carbon Pricing, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we have already heard from Ontario and Saskatchewan courts that this approach is fully within federal jurisdiction. The Alberta Court of Appeal's decision is one step in the process. This will be adjudicated in March before the Supreme Court of Canada and we are very confident that federal jurisdiction will be upheld.

I do find it odd, however, that the party opposite, which professes to be a party that believes in the market, rejects a market mechanism, which is the most efficient way to reduce emissions, in favour of a more expensive regulatory approach or perhaps just an aspirational one.

[Natural Resources, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, this decision was a decision taken by the company. We certainly respect that decision. I am sure it was a difficult one.

As Teck's CEO said in his letter, we need to move past jurisdictional and partisan fighting. We agree, and we are working with all orders of government across Canada and with the resource sector to ensure that we create good jobs and ensure clean and sustainable prosperity for all.