Jonathan Wilkinson

[Natural Resources, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said a few times, the decision was taken by the company itself, not by the government. I know it was a difficult decision.

Teck Resources' decision, in the letter that was provided by their CEO, shows the need to have serious climate plans that incentivize innovation, cut pollution and ensure our economy stays competitive for the long term.

We are doing just that with a price on pollution. We are moving to exceed our Paris targets and working to be net zero by 2050. We have a serious climate plan, and we will be working with Alberta and working with the oil and gas sector to ensure that we can meet it in a way that will incent the development of a clean-energy sector.

[Indigenous Affairs, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, this was a decision taken by the company. We respect that decision. I am sure it was a difficult one. I will say that during the environmental assessment process that was conducted under CEAA 2012, the company did incredibly good work in engaging indigenous communities in Alberta near the project. That is certainly something that can be a model for companies going forward.

[Carbon Pricing, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we have already heard from the courts of appeal in Ontario and Saskatchewan, both of which determined that the federal plan is well within federal jurisdiction. The Alberta Court of Appeal's decision is one step in this process. We look forward to the Supreme Court of Canada's deliberations in March and are confident that the price on pollution is fully within federal jurisdiction.

Tackling climate change should not be a partisan issue. It is a scientific issue. It is not an aspirational issue. We need to focus on addressing climate change and this is an important measure in doing that.

[Indigenous Affairs, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, this decision was made by Teck, and we respect their decision.

As Teck Resources indicated in its letter, global capital markets are changing rapidly, and investors and customers are increasingly looking for jurisdictions that have a framework in place to reconcile resource development and climate change, in order to produce the cleanest possible products.

We agree with that assessment. Productivity is good for certainty and good for Canada's competitiveness and Canadian workers.

[Indigenous Affairs, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the decision was made by Teck. We respect the decision, and I am sure it was not easy to make.

The decision made by Teck Resources demonstrates clearly the need for all levels of government to work together to deliver on climate action and clean growth. We need to take action on climate change to reduce pollution and thereby provide business certainty.

[Natural Resources, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to set the record straight. The Teck Frontier review was actually done under CEA 2012, the process put into place by Stephen Harper's government of which Jason Kenney was a minister of the Crown.

The decision that was made by Teck Frontier was independent of the review, but I will say that one of the problems with CEA 2012 was that it forced all of the various difficult issues to the back end. We have fixed that through the Impact Assessment Act, by ensuring that the big issues are dealt with early on in the process.

[Natural Resources, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the decision made by the company and the letter sent to me by the company's CEO demonstrate clearly the need for all levels of government to be working together to deliver on climate action and on clean growth. We need to take action on climate change to reduce pollution, and in doing so we will provide business certainty.

[Natural Resources, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member is aware, this was a decision made by Teck. We respect that decision and I am sure it was a difficult one. The decision made by Teck Resources—

[Natural Resources, February 24th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, this was a decision taken by Teck Resources. I know that it was probably a difficult decision.

The Government of Canada has thought very carefully about the letter that Don Lindsay, the CEO of Teck Resources, sent to me. In it he talks about the need for us to be aggressively fighting climate change and doing so in a manner that promotes clean economic growth.

That is exactly what we have been doing through the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change, which was negotiated with the provinces and territories. It is something that we certainly intend to accelerate as we go forward to 2050 and the target of net zero.

[The Environment, February 24th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to preserving and protecting our national parks so that they can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Last December we announced the federal investment of $1.4 million to enhance existing efforts to protect the threatened eastern hemlock forest in Kejimkujik National Park.

Parks Canada will continue to work with its partners, such as indigenous communities, to protect this important natural habitat.