Marc Serré

[Natural Resources, May 25th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for allowing me to bring clarity to this very important matter. Despite all the partisan bickering, members of all four official parties have spoken with one voice in support of Line 5, including the small-c Conservative premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.

I can assure Canadians that this government has taken a firm stand on this matter since it emerged. Our government has engaged and continues to engage at all levels to advocate for Line 5. Most recently, we intervened in the legal dispute between Michigan Governor Whitmer's administration and Enbridge, asking the courts to ensure that the case remains at the federal level, especially in light of the 1977 Canada-U.S. treaty on transit pipelines.

This is exactly what members of the special committee on Canada-U.S. relations unanimously asked us to do. We will keep pushing at the political level, all the way to the top at the diplomatic level. As the Minister of Natural Resources has said repeatedly, this is non-negotiable. Energy workers and consumers will not be left out in the cold.

We worked very closely with the provinces, industry and unions, and we raised the issue of Line 5 directly with the U.S. administration. This approach was and continues to be a Team Canada approach. We continue to voice support for North American energy security because Line 5 is not only important infrastructure on the Canadian side of the border, it is vital to the United States. It also represents the integrated, intertwined and mutually beneficial relationship of our two countries. It is a relationship linked by more than 70 pipelines and almost three dozen transmission lines. This ecosystem of deeply integrated investment and trade is connected through shared supply and manufacturing.

The people of northern Michigan rely on Line 5 to heat their homes and businesses. We also move Marathon's refined oil, which is used as fuel for government vehicles, trucks and planes, among other things. Line 5 also supplies refineries in Ohio and neighbouring Pennsylvania, as well as in Ontario and Quebec.

We also regularly remind our counterparts in Washington and Michigan that Line 5 has been operating safely for 68 years.

That is why we support Enbridge's proposal of the Great Lakes tunnel project to add a layer of assurance over and above Enbridge's oversight of this outstanding pipeline. The debate also draws attention to the renewed Canada-U.S. relationship, bonded by a common objective to confront and overcome this pandemic. We will build our economies and leave no workers or communities behind, and we will join forces to take on the essential climate change crisis. We are also united in recognizing that we need our respective petroleum sectors. As we drive forward, we need the know-how, skill and financial muscle to make the changes necessary to reach our Paris targets.

[Forest Industry, May 14th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, we are working closely with provinces and municipalities to help slow the spread and mitigate the impact of forest pests in Canada as well as reduce the risk of infestation in areas that are not affected.

Our government invested $20 million annually in scientific research to address the risk posed to our forests. We remain focused on science-based solutions. We will continue working with our partners and invest to protect Canada's trees from infestation.

[National Mining Week, May 12th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize National Mining Week.

In 2019, the mining industry created 719,000 direct and indirect jobs across the country, including 16,000 jobs for indigenous people. It also contributed nearly $71 billion to Canada's GDP.

The industry is also a world leader in environmental practices, innovation and clean technologies that will secure our low-carbon future.

We are committed to the mining industry. That is why we invested $365 million to extend the mineral exploration tax credit, $36.8 million to advance our battery mineral processing and refining expertise, and $9.6 million to create a critical battery minerals centre of excellence.

I ask all hon. members to join me in celebrating National Mining Week and recognize the importance of Canada’s mineral industry.

[Line 5 Pipeline Shutdown, May 6th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, there has been much talk in the House of Commons about the threat of Line 5 closing, whether during question period, opposition days, or as part of this evening's emergency debate. Let us be clear. Our position is consistent: Line 5 is essential to Canada's energy security. It is non-negotiable.

We have heard inside and outside the House, both in the United States and Canada, how important this line is. There have been many interventions with the Prime Minister, President Biden. I want to thank the Special Committee on the Economic Relationship between Canada and the United States. It has done very good work. Vern Yu from Enbridge said, “The stakes could not be higher.”

The infrastructure of Line 5 is really important to economic growth, job growth and energy security. Let us be clear. To our government, today's debate is key. On both sides of the border we agree that it is really important to keep Line 5 open. It is really important for workers and families on both sides of the border. We must continue to work together to ensure that it remains a very important economic driver.

We have reminded the Americans of an opinion piece that ran in The Detroit News, which focused on the energy emergencies last winter. They affected 34 states. Millions of Americans were left to shiver in the dark when the grid was shut down, yet Michigan provided propane to its customers thanks to Line 5. It is why our government is fighting hard to keep it open.

Michigan State Senator Curt VanderWall summed things up well when he said, “Critical energy supplies. Jobs. Tax revenue. Environmental benefits. Safety. Line 5 delivers all of that for Michigan”. Senator VanderWall is backed by the numbers, and families and businesses in Michigan’s upper peninsula rely on Line 5. It is really important for propane demand in that area. I can give another example. The Michigan Oil and Gas Association said, “Line 5’s closure will jeopardize...nearly 47,000 Michigan jobs”. We know this is important on both sides of the border.

There are many Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. who support Line 5, and they are working with us and Enbridge to ensure that this pipeline remains open. It has been safe, and it has moved 27 billion barrels of crude oil since 1953.

Many support Line 5, including the CEO of the Lake Superior Community Partnership and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, and I want to assure the House that we are working at all levels of government to ensure that this pipeline remains open. We need to take a team Canada approach, and I hope that all parties in the House will support us and continue working with us to ensure that this pipeline remains open. We must work together.

[Natural Resources, May 4th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I want to emphasize how encouraged we are by the “Team Canada” approach adopted by the Special Committee on the Economic Relationship Between Canada and the United States, by provincial and municipal governments, by Canada's chambers of commerce and by construction unions, as well as by experts in Canada-U.S. relations.

I also want to cite some comments made at committee by a senior executive of Enbridge, Vern Yu. A disruption, he said, would hurt both economies, triggering “energy shortages” and threatening high-paying jobs in both countries. For what purpose? He asserts that Line 5 is “the most scrutinized” pipeline in North America and he consistently has found that this pipeline is fit for service on the Straits of Mackinac.

[Natural Resources, May 4th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for raising such an important issue.

The Government of Canada certainly shares his concerns about Line 5. It is a vital North American economic artery, as he mentioned, that carries 540,000 barrels day of essential energy products and brings western Canada petroleum products to refineries in central Canada and the U.S. Midwest.

This is one of the cases that concerns us all, and we need to adopt a team Canada approach in response to the Governor of Michigan's attempt to close this line.

That consensus is clear in the excellent interim report that the Special Committee on Canada-United States Economic Relationship is currently examining, a report that highlights on the true solidarity between the witnesses and the members of all parties.

The Governor of Michigan based her opposition on concerns about the safety of a short stretch of the line at the Straits of Mackinac. This is the body of water connecting Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. I have two points. First, Canadians care as deeply as Americans about the integrity of our Great Lakes, full stop.

Second, Line 5 is completely safe for the straits. What is more, Enbridge monitors the pipeline in that area 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the company wants to do more. As part of its Great Lakes tunnel project, the pipeline would be secured in a concrete tunnel below the lake bed, making the already safe pipeline even safer.

We are making our message clear in both Michigan and Washington, D.C. The Prime Minister raised our concerns during his virtual summit with President Biden in February. The Minister of Natural Resources is pressing the issue with energy secretary Jennifer Granholm, and so are our diplomats in the U.S. capital and in Michigan.

Our main argument is that the continued operation of Line 5 is in everyone's best interests on both sides of the border. It is certainly in the best interests of the thousands of people whose jobs depend on it.

For Michigan, feedstock from this pipeline supplies the state's refinery. It is the source of more than half of Michigan's propane, heating thousands of homes and businesses, and also the source of most of the jet fuel used at the Detroit Metro Airport. In fact, a new report from the American Petroleum Institute highlights the critical and growing importance of cross-border energy trade between the two nations, with the conclusion that in the U.S. this trade most benefits six states, four of them in the Midwest region: Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan.

We believe this conflict will be resolved. Enbridge and Michigan are currently engaged in court-mandated mediation, and we fully support the parties working toward a constructive resolution.

President Biden and the Prime Minister officially recognized the economic benefits of energy security for our bilateral relationship. They mentioned our highly integrated infrastructure as a key element of our prosperity and shared security. The President and the Prime Minister also agreed to work together to ensure our recovery after the pandemic. That recovery will enable—

[Natural Resources, May 3rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the House that we are looking at all the options. We will leave no stone unturned in defending Canada's energy security. We are working at the political level, the diplomatic level and the legal level. We are ready to intervene at precisely the right moment.

Line 5 is non-negotiable. We are standing up for energy workers and for Canada's energy security. People will not be left out in the cold.

[Natural Resources, May 3rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, Line 5 is non-negotiable. People will not be left out in the cold.

I would like to thank the members of the Canada-U.S. special committee for their hard work on studying Line 5. We have received the report and are reviewing it.

It is clear there is no daylight between the parties and Canadians on this issue. Line 5 is essential for Canada's energy security. Line 5 is not just vital for Canada and the United States, but also for North America. We will stop at nothing to make sure it is not shut down.

[Offshore Health and Safety Act, April 30th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of the details of what the hon. member mentioned, so I will take this up. However, I want to assure her that our regulatory bodies are independent. They work closely to make sure they provide the best health and safety for our workers. I assure the member that we will do our best to make sure that the questions she has asked today will be addressed.

[Offshore Health and Safety Act, April 30th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her important question about workers, Unifor and unions.

Obviously that is important. We are committed, and we are are holding consultations with Unifor and many unions. It is important for us to move forward, while taking into account the 300 pages of regulations. We also need to take into account the Canada Labour Code, workplace health and safety, the consultations between the federal government and two provinces, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, and a possible election.

It is really important to continue the work that we have already started. We said that the delay was unacceptable. However, we did the work and we will continue to do more.

It is important that the House support Bill S-3 with the changes made by the Senate so we can ensure that the bill passes by the end of the year.