Natural Resources committee  Thank you so much for that question. As I said earlier, I know many people in Alberta who have been struggling for the last number of years, starting with the downturn in oil prices that started in 2014 and has led to thousands of layoffs, families struggling and people worrying about their future and the future of their kids.

Natural Resources committee  The goal of Bill C-69 is to ensure that we have a process in place that improves the transparency of decision-making, allows good projects to move forward in the quickest way possible and allows for the “one project, one review” philosophy. It also gives flexibility to provinces, such that if they want to substitute their own review process for the federal review process, the bill allows them to do so.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you so much for having me. Good afternoon to all the committee members and everyone else who is present in the room. Thank you for inviting me to make this presentation. As you said, this is my first appearance at the committee as Canada's Minister of Natural Resources.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles that Alberta communities, workers and industry are facing in relation to the price differential, but that is not something new. The reason for that is because of the previous government's failed process on regulatory review that did not move forward any single pipeline to get our resources to non-U.S. markets.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, while the previous government failed to get the job done, we are taking decisive action and seeing results. We approved the Line 3 replacement project and we are supporting the Keystone XL pipeline. We are helping producers build up the refining capacity in Canada, because we know that means more value for every barrel sold.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, it is that kind of divisive politics, pitting one community against the other, pitting indigenous communities against other communities, that has put us in this place to start with. Bill C-69 would allow us to have a process in place that would allow good projects to move forward in a timely and efficient manner.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, we inherited a very flawed process of environmental review from the previous government. That has led to the failure of a number of infrastructure projects, including pipelines, that could not move forward. We are focused on fixing the previous government's flawed process by passing Bill C-69 which would allow good projects to move forward and would allow one review for every project.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, let us look at the record of the previous government, how it failed to protect the energy sector and how it failed to expand our non-U.S. global market. When the Conservatives got into office in 2005, 99% of Alberta's oil was exported to the United States. When they left office in 2015, 99% of Alberta's oil was still exported to the United States.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, we deeply care about the energy sector and the people who work in the energy sector. We understand the frustration they are facing, but the source of their frustration was the inability of the previous government to build a single pipeline to expand our non-U.S. global market.

Forestry Industry  Mr. Speaker, as the member would know, $100 million have been allocated for innovative practices in the forestry sector. We know that the forestry sector is a source of well-paying middle-class jobs and will remain a source of well-paying middle-class jobs. We will continue to support it.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, when energy workers needed help, we stood with them. We were the government that extended EI benefits for struggling energy sector workers, which the Conservative government voted against. This—

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, we are focused on building the pipeline capacity because we understand that reducing dependence on our single customer, the U.S., should be our focus in order to support our energy sector the right way.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, I think they cannot accept the reality that they failed the energy sector, and that is why they make so much noise. We were there to stand with them when the energy workers needed our support, and we will continue to support them by building pipeline capacity and supporting them in their time of need.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, it is really disappointing to hear from the member from Alberta that when workers needed the EI extensions and benefits they deserved, they did not deserve those benefits. It is very disappointing to see that kind of attitude.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, the challenges experienced by the energy sector are real, and we are working with the sector, as well as the province of Alberta, to deal with them. Let us look at the facts. What we are seeing today happening in Alberta is the result of a decade of inaction by the previous government to build a single pipeline to take our resources to non-U.S. markets.