Kent Hehr

[Canada's Oil and Gas Sector, November 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Kingston and the Islands.

It is a great honour and privilege to speak tonight in this emergency debate on the crisis that has emerged in the Canadian oil and gas sector.

People in my riding, people in Calgary, kids I went to school with, kids I grew up with, are all having a difficult time right now. I know that. I have family members who work in the oil and gas industry. My sister Kristie Smith works for TransCanada pipelines. Her husband Bob works for the Pembina Pipeline. This is personal. We understand that it is a difficult time.

I was with the Prime Minister last week in Calgary, where we met with oil and gas executives. There is no clear path forward they say. Both have differing ideas on what we should do. What they did say, and it is what our government is delivering on, is that we are going to ensure that we get access to new markets. We remain committed to building the Trans Mountain pipeline project in the right way.

We also delivered something else in the fall economic statement. We delivered what those people who work in that industry are asking for, the capital cost allowance structure, which will allow us to build more projects more effectively and more efficiently.

We have heard a lot of rhetoric in tonight's debate from the members opposite. I understand that they are concerned about the people of Calgary and Alberta and the like, but nevertheless, they seem to have forgotten how we got here.

Just pick a date at random, let us say, 2006. Let us go back to 2006 when the Harper government was elected. That government immediately said, with sound and fury, that it was going to build an energy superpower here in Canada. Conservative members at that time, all the men and women, put all their thought processes, all their workings together, and worked day and night, I assume, to try to create this. That is what they said they would do. Yet here we are.

When we took power in 2015 after they had been in power for a decade, not one inch of pipeline had been built to new energy markets. What we are dealing with right now is the fact that there is a differential, and that differential is caused by our having one customer, the United States. When the Conservatives came to power, 99% of our oil went to the United States. At the end of their decade in power, that number was the same.

Here we are today. This government has invested $4.5 billion in the Trans Mountain pipeline. We will build this in the right way. It shows our commitment to the people I represent in my riding of Calgary Centre and our commitment to the people of Alberta. When Alberta is successful, Canada is successful.

Not only could the Conservatives not get pipelines built, in their wisdom, or lack thereof, they also said in 2012 that they were going to design a system that would get all of these energy projects built. They said they were going to put all the king's horses and all the king's men, all of us, in a room together to figure out how to build these energy projects super fast, super quickly, with no problems. Yet here we are.

The Conservatives managed in this process to basically cause themselves to be where we are today. Here we are with their process in place, which essentially ended the northern gateway pipeline and essentially left us here where we are at with the Trans Mountain pipeline, where we followed their process.

Here they are saying that we should do nothing more, that we should not endeavour to try to do better, that we should endeavour to try to set up a process that actually allows for good projects to get built, with one project, one review, to allow people to go through this and get some certainty to it. They want to somehow go back to yesterday when clearly the process they laid down did not work. They have to admit that.

In no uncertain terms can they deny the fact that the process they put in place in 2012 was an utter failure, clearly. I hear none of that here tonight, that the process they worked night and day on to create this superpower that they said they were going to do, has led to nothing but failure. That is where we are today, with a differential a mile wide that has been caused by the failure of the former Conservative government, one, to build pipelines, and two, to have a process that actually allowed people to be heard. Here is where we are.

The Federal Court has said we have a constitutional duty to ensure we are consulting meaningfully with our indigenous people, that we are moving forward in an environmentally friendly fashion that ensures what we said in the 2015 election campaign, which is that the economy and the environment are two sides of the same coin. In this day and age, we have to move forward with that because that is what Canadians expect and that is what Canadians are demanding.

We have to also learn to look at some of the successes our government has had in terms of actually building a sense of understanding among the people of Canada around the Trans Mountain pipeline. When we came to power, the Conservative government had so alienated the indigenous population, alienated the people concerned about the environment, alienated a whole swath of Canadians who simply did not believe them when it came to the environment or consultation. That support for the Trans Mountain pipeline languished around 40%. That was the amount of public opinion support for this energy project.

Because we understand that the environment and the economy are two sides of the same coin, we have now seen people get behind this, understanding that here is a government who understands it is a balance and understands that energy projects to be built in the 21st century have to do these necessary things. It is a government that understands the importance of leaving a better environment going forward. It is a government that understands the importance of our consultations with our indigenous communities.

We also have to understand that our government has moved forward on many approvals too since we came to power. The NGL pipeline, the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline and Towerbirch are all projects that are going to lead to a lessening of the differential. Our government remains committed to those. We understand that this is important for us to deliver on, not only for the people of Alberta but for all Canadians.

As I said, when Alberta is successful, Canada is successful. After a decade of failure by the Harper Conservatives, we will continue to move forward on the Trans Mountain pipeline. All the energy executives we have talked to said that is the most important thing. They said that they need pipeline access. We are moving forward on that project in the right way. We will continue to do better on our indigenous consultations and our environmental stewardship because in the 21st century, that is the only way forward. The Conservatives just did not understand that then, and it appears that they do not understand that now.

[Canada's Oil and Gas Sector, November 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's genuine concern for Albertan workers and their families. It is a sentiment I feel on this side of the House. However, we have to look further and deeper into this.

In 2006, we had a Harper government come to power saying that everything was going to be great and Canada was going to be an energy superpower, yet the Conservatives did not build one inch of pipeline to new markets. Also, if I look at the Conservatives' regulatory changes in 2012, which they said would allow us to move forward on energy projects, they clearly and in no uncertain terms did not work. Hence, we are here in this position today. It is why the northern gateway stalled, as well the Trans Mountain pipeline. Their process did not work.

Let us be clear. Our government is moving forward. Will the changes we are making in terms of moving forward the right way on the Trans Mountain pipeline, as well as having one project, one review going forward, not lead to more success than the failure of the decade under the Harper government?

[Grey Cup, November 26th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, members may have noticed that the hon. member for Ottawa Centre is wearing a Calgary Stampeders jersey. Last Friday, we made a bet on whether Calgary or Ottawa would win this year's Grey Cup.

Well last night, the mighty Stampeders routed the Redblacks to achieve their eighth Grey Cup victory. It was a match well-fought on the frozen tundra of Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, but the Stamps pulled through.

Not only this, the Stamps are also making Calgarians proud on and off the field. They support one of my favourite non-profits, CUPS. Through integrated health care, education and housing, CUPS assists Calgarians living with the adversity of poverty and traumatic events to become self-sufficient. It is a worthy cause supported by our Grey Cup champions.

[Kerby Centre, November 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, located in the fabulous constituency of Calgary Centre, the Kerby Centre is an outstanding organization that has provided support to Calgary seniors for nearly half a century. Members are joining us here in Ottawa today.

The Kerby Centre runs multiple invaluable services for seniors, from housing to counselling to social enterprises, like the second-hand clothing store. I also have lunch there on many a Wednesday.

I am proud that our Liberal federal government supports this dedicated group through programs like Canada summer jobs, the enabling accessibility fund, and new horizons for seniors. All of these programs help the Kerby Centre support seniors in my community.

I thank the Kerby Centre for its commitment to bettering the lives of Calgary seniors, and I look forward to it providing services for many more years to come.

[YWCA Canada, November 1st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, with 32 chapters across the country, the YWCA is working to empower women and girls. I am especially excited to have the YWCA from Banff and Calgary here with us today. After 44 years in downtown Calgary, the YW is building a new home in Inglewood, with our government's help. It will include a supportive, transitional shelter with 100 spaces for women and their children

There is also the Banff YW courtyard project, which was funded by our government as well. It will provide affordable rental housing for 78 at-risk women.

With a combined investment of $7.3 million from the national housing strategy into these affordable housing projects, our federal Liberal government is proud to support the YW, and we commend its leadership in helping vulnerable women and families find a safe place to live.

[Housing, October 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, an issue that affects my riding of Calgary Centre, and in fact the entire country, is homelessness and home insecurity. Over 150,000 Albertans do not have access to adequate, safe, affordable housing. That is why I was excited this week to announce in beautiful Banff our Liberal government's investment of $10 million in eight cost-effective, energy-efficient affordable housing projects. Phase one will create up to 467 rental units. The first project is the YWCA courtyard in Banff, a three-storey building, housing 78 at-risk women.

Our government understands that it is difficult, if not impossible, to build a life without a home. Project by project, our government is bringing affordable housing to Alberta. After a decade of inaction by the previous government, this type of major investment in affordable housing is long overdue.

[Global Warming, October 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I represent the good people of Calgary Centre and I was elected by those good people to do a couple of things: to follow through on our vision of both seeing the economy and the environment as two sides of the same coin and move the country forward in that fashion. That is exactly what this government is doing after a decade of Stephen Harper's failure to see the country in that fashion, with the Conservatives not being able to embrace the fact that climate change was real and the way to fight it was putting a price on pollution. We also did not see energy projects move forward. Not one inch of pipeline was built to new energy markets.

Our commitment is to build good energy projects by finding a way forward on Trans Mountain and other projects in a reasonable fashion, as well as LNG Canada, which is a great project that will grow the economy. We also understand that the best way to deal with climate change is to put a price on pollution. The evidence is clear.

This week, the panel on climate change issued its report saying that we had to take action, and there is no doubt about it. The Nobel Prize winner this week embraced carbon pricing as the best way to fight climate change. That is exactly what our government is doing.

I am surprised when I hear the Conservatives advocate for other ways to do this. It was 30 years ago when Brian Mulroney had the first international gathering on climate change. In fact, the former leader of the Reform Party, Preston Manning, embraced carbon pricing. It is a market principle that says that based on supply and demand and economics, it allows real world issues to follow through and send a price signal to those who want to purchase goods. That is why I am surprised at the wailing and gnashing of the teeth at any type of move toward what is clearly the most efficient way to battle climate change, which is to put a price on pollution. Why the Conservatives would like to do it in a less efficient way, through regulation or whatever they are talking about, does not make any sense.

Our government is also committed to doing this not only through putting a price on pollution, but through a whole-of-government approach in how we face climate change.

It was mentioned earlier that Calgary Centre was moving forward with the LRT Green Line, from downtown Calgary through to Inglewood and Ramsay, south to the hospital. This important project will take 8,000 cars off the road in Calgary alone. It will allow people to get to and from work much more quickly.

My good friend brought up the fact that the Conservative government promised it, but it promised it in 2011 and did not quite send a cheque to the good people of Calgary to build that. It promised it again in 2015 and I am skeptical if that would have ever arrived. That is why our government is there, to ensure we are doing those things through both the LRT Green Line and our national housing strategy. It takes a whole-of-government approach to deal with climate change in a real and fundamental fashion. There is very good evidence to support this being the logical way to go.

B.C. has had a price on carbon for the last 10 years. In fact, it has seen a 10% reduction of people's gasoline use and has also seen its economy grow during that time. Therefore, this is a bogeyman the Conservatives put out, that we cannot have growth in the economy without putting a price on pollution. That is the way forward and that is exactly what our government is doing.

[Global Warming, October 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the member for his passionate plea on climate change and that we take action on this not only for today but for future generations.

I was struck by something he said in his speech that might have been an error. He seemed to be worried about our deficit, suggesting we were leaving that to future generations.

I would suggest to him that we are investing in climate change action by investing in LRTs across this country. In my riding alone, the LRT green line will take 8,000 cars off the road. I will correct my good friend from Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan. His government promised it in the 2011 election but forgot to drop off the cheque. That is why we ensured after 2015 that we invested in the LRT green line project.

In any event, can the member not see that these investments in the LRT, our national housing strategy, and all of the things we are doing around climate change are real and that our deficit is going towards fighting climate change as well?

[Global Warming, October 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised that the hon. member cannot recognize the leadership we are showing on this side of the House. Putting a price on pollution is what Nobel scientists are saying is the best way forward for reducing emissions. I also note that we have a whole-of-government approach to this: our investments in green infrastructure, LRT and transit, and our national housing plan, which is going to see building codes doing things to a T.

Her party's position in the last election was not to run any deficits, and here we are investing in communities and in these things that matter. In fact, in my riding of Calgary, we are going to take 8,000 cars off the road with the LRT Green Line. Does the member see the merit in what we are doing with the whole-of-government approach and that we are taking leadership?

[Global Warming, October 15th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I would like to ask the member this. In my riding of Calgary Centre, this government is investing in the Green Line LRT, which will take 8,000 cars off the road. It is investing in affordable housing that is going to ensure that we not only have accessible but also environmentally friendly housing. I know that in her riding we are also taking many of these steps. Therefore, although we are putting a price on carbon, we are also taking a whole-of-government approach to reduce emissions. Do you have any examples like that in your riding?