Wayne Easter

[Emergency Debate, February 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I listened quite closely to the member for St. Albert—Edmonton. To take the approach in this place of laying all the blame on the Prime Minister is just absolutely plain ridiculous. The CEO of Teck Frontier said clearly that the market was the major part of the reason it pulled out. I want to read from the letter of Teck Frontier's CEO, which stated:

Frontier, however, has surfaced a broader debate over climate change and Canada’s role in addressing it. It is our hope that withdrawing from the process will allow Canadians to shift to a larger and more positive discussion about the path forward.

We have not seen that positive discussion here tonight from the opposition at all.

There are real issues out there, and the member blames the Prime Minister. Let me tell the House something: The Prime Minister's response came long before this discussion by Teck Frontier. It came in the previous budgets we made and passed in this House, where we tried to bring the environment and the economy together. It came for an area that we get a lot of criticism on, with the Prime Minister supporting and purchasing the Trans Mountain pipeline so we can get product to a different market than the United States of America and perhaps get rid of the Alberta discount, which is costing this country $587 billion a year.

The Prime Minister has been responding. He has been trying to move forward—

[Emergency Debate, February 25th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, there are some points the member for Carleton made that I could actually agree with. Sometimes we do agree at the finance committee. However, what I absolutely do not agree with is his comment that the demonstrators and the leadership of the government, meaning the Prime Minister, along with the government, shut down the Teck mine. That is absolutely not true.

Did the member for Carleton not read the letter from Teck Resources? It said this was the market. The member talked about free enterprise, and that is what free enterprise is all about. If the market is not there, the business plan does not go ahead. It is that simple. Do not try to play politics on this issue, because this is bigger than politics.

I congratulate the leadership at Teck Resources, because they laid out the facts and said something to politicians in the House: Find a way to get together, to work the environment and the economy together, so we can prosper in this country. Let us stop playing politics with this issue that is dividing Canadians.

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

No. Give her more time.

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

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member's remarks, but I am worried that this debate is going to fan the flames of rhetoric on both sides.

As a member of Parliament on this Teck Frontier issue, I supported this and approved the proposal. In terms of supporting it, I also realize that there are already 20 oil sands projects in the mill with approval. This one probably will not come into being unless things really change within the next 10 years. The problem we see on that side, and on this to a certain extent, is the way it is viewed out there in Alberta.

I have a lot of Alberta friends. I spend a lot of time there. A lot of people from the Maritimes worked in the oil industry and still do. In fact, 25 flights a week used to go out of Moncton to Alberta, and they are not now.

Trying to blame everything on the Prime Minister is not the answer. Does the member really think that the price of oil in the market had nothing to do with this decision? It requires $92 a barrel of oil for it to be successful. Oil is nowhere near there and looks like it is not going to get there.

Let us have some real facts on the table here. The Teck company made the decision themselves, and the price of oil is—

[Interparliamentary Delegations, February 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, this is my third day tabling reports. We have been busy at the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group.

Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, three reports of the Canada-United States IPG.

The first concerns the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region 29th annual summit held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, from July 21 to 25, 2019.

The second concerns the National Governors Association annual summer meeting, held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from July 24 to 26, 2019.

The third concerns the CAN/AM Border Trade Alliance conference, held in Washington, D.C., from October 6 to 8, 2019.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, February 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, three reports of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group.

The first report concerns the 72nd annual meeting of the Council of State Governments-West, held in Big Sky, Montana, United States, from July 16 to 20, 2019.

The second report concerns the 74th annual meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference of Council of State Governments, held in Chicago, Illinois, from July 21 to 24, 2019.

The third report concerns the 59th Annual Meeting and Regional Policy Forum of the Council of State Governments, Eastern Regional Conference, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., from July 28 to 31, 2019.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, February 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, two reports of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group.

The first concerns the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance Conference, held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from May 6 to May 7, 2019. The second concerns the Western Governors' Association Annual Meeting, held in Vail, Colorado, U.S.A., from June 10 to June 12, 2019.

[Ruth Brewer, February 3rd, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the life of Ruth Brewer of Cavendish, who passed away peacefully in December at age 96.

Ruth's love for and dedication to her community was an inspiration to everyone who knew her. For many years, Ruth was a councillor at Cavendish Resort Municipality, and was a driving force in the growth and success of one of P.E.I.'s most famous destinations.

Well known for her work with children, she was a specialist in early childhood education, particularly with preschool children and those with special needs.

Ruth was a trailblazer and champion for nurse practitioners and rural health clinics in P.E.I., and was responsible for the establishment of the North Rustico Clinic. Ruth lived in the North Rustico lighthouse in the 1960s and 1970s, where she researched and wrote a book on the history of the harbour.

We salute Ruth. Her community and indeed all of Canada are a better place thanks to her life's work. May she rest in peace.

[Resumption of debate on Address in Reply, January 27th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, the member talked about the energy sector becoming a topic of discord. I listened closely to his remarks. I have a lot of friends in Alberta as I worked there for years and I still talk to them. The story I get from them is not what the Conservative opposition is saying, but that they are concerned about vacant office buildings in Calgary. Yes, there is a very strong concern in Alberta that I think is creating disunity and division in Canada. I hate to see that because, as I said, I have a lot of friends there.

One of the reasons for the discord is the misinformation the Conservative Party is propagandizing and that the member who just spoke is still doing by saying Liberals are opposed to pipelines. Why does the member not be honest in this place and with Canadians across the country? The Liberal government purchased a pipeline to get oil to market and Liberals are going to see it through. Let us have some honesty over there.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 6th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member on her election and getting here. Her voice, as she just stated, is much needed in the House of Commons and to be heard in the country.

The member mentioned boil-water orders. The government has made some substantial progress on that but there is a lot further distance to go. The Prime Minister himself has stated clearly, in the actions that were taken in the last Parliament as well as in what was outlined in the platform and the throne speech, that he has made this perhaps his most important file.

In this file, he wants to address these difficulties and concerns and see that indigenous people right across the country gain their rightful place in this country, with a proper economy and their culture, and that they are able to prosper and share their knowledge and abilities with other Canadians.