Parliamentary Speeches
574 speeches by Jonathan Wilkinson — Page 10 of 12
Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources, with support from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, was mandated to develop and implement a plan to plant two billion trees over 10 years as part of a broader commitment to natural climate solutions. The program is on track to plant two billion trees over 10 years, resulting in a permanent increase in forest cover in Canada. The program…
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources, with support from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, was mandated to develop and implement a plan to plant two billion trees over 10 years as part of a broader commitment to natural climate solutions. The program is on track to plant two billion trees over 10 years, resulting in a permanent increase in forest cover in Canada. The program…
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Mr. Speaker, AECL’s payments to its contractors are provided in its annual report, available publicly at www.aecl.ca/reports-resources/. As part of the restructuring of AECL, in 2014 the CNL was created and operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of AECL until September 2015, at which point the shares of the CNL were transferred to a private sector contractor selected as part of a government-run pro…
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Mr. Speaker, given the brutal invasion of Ukraine, European countries have very much made clear their decision to end dependence on Russian oil and gas. European countries have made it clear, including during this week's International Energy Agency ministerial meeting, of the pressing need for Europe to accelerate the transition to renewables and hydrogen. We are conferring and working closely wit…
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Mr. Speaker, we, and certainly European countries, would agree that the dependence on Russian oil and gas is a significant problem for Europe that it must move to address. European ministers have made that commitment, including at the International Energy Agency ministerial meeting I participated in earlier this week. We are working very actively with our European colleagues and with our American …
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Mr. Speaker, as I said in the chamber earlier this week, we have made the decision to ban the importation of all petroleum products from Russia. We are working actively with our European colleagues to ensure both short-term and long-term access to energy supplies. We are working very, very proactively with the energy sector in this country, including with the Pathways alliance, to ensure we are pr…
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Mr. Speaker, the approval of this particular project is currently with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and therefore I am not going to comment on the process. However, I will say that our commitment has been unwavering. In our commitment to support—
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Mr. Speaker, certainly the oil and gas sector in this country is an important part of this economy. It will continue to be an important part of this economy, but as I said to the previous questioner, the hon. member is simply incorrect. The last time crude oil was imported into Canada at the Irving Oil refinery was in 2019.
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Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the current situation in Ukraine underscores the importance of energy security, both in Canada and for our allies in Europe. We are working actively with our allies on both short-term and longer-term energy supply options with respect to ensuring that energy security is top of mind in Europe and is ongoing. I will correct my hon. colleague, as 2019 was the last year…
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Mr. Speaker, the current situation in Ukraine certainly underscores the importance of energy security for Canada and for its allies. We are working very closely with our colleagues in the United States and in Europe to not only address short-term energy volatility but also to explore long-term energy options.
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Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to supporting energy workers in Canada and certainly to working with Newfoundland and Labrador specifically, with the Lower Churchill project, which will provide Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with clean energy for decades to come, and the offshore emissions reduction fund to help offshore workers. We have been there and we will continue to be there, working stro…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is one of the best countries for businesses. Under our government, oil imports have consistently declined, having reached their lowest level in 10 years. This is certainly an important issue, and we are working with our partners in Europe and the United States to ensure energy security.
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Mr. Speaker, certainly the oil and gas sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, just as in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, is an important part of our economy. As we move forward, we are focused on ensuring that we are developing our regional economies in a manner that will promote prosperity and economic opportunity for all folks who live in those regions of the country. As the hon. membe…
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Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member would be aware, we are working actively with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador on moving forward with respect to economic opportunities that would benefit Newfoundland and Labradorian families, just as we are doing in provinces and territories across the country. We will continue to work collaboratively with Premier Furey, with the oil and gas industry, wi…
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Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague knows, this process has been an ongoing environmental assessment for the past number of years. It has proceeded through a whole range of different phases. It is now in the process of coming toward a decision. Certainly we will be considering all of the science, including science with respect to migratory birds, the impacts of noise and other issues that have arise…
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Mr. Speaker, certainly I agree with parts of what the hon. member said. Certainly the energy sector in the country is an important part of our overall economy and will continue to be as we move forward toward a lower-carbon future. We are working actively with companies and with governments to ensure that we are creating the jobs and the economic opportunities for families in Alberta, Saskatchewan…
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Mr. Speaker, on May 27, 2021, the Government of Canada launched the Canada greener homes grant program, a $2.6-billion initiative to enable up to 700,000 Canadian homeowners to apply for government funding to make retrofits to their homes. The program will help Canadians make their homes more comfortable and affordable to maintain, support Canada’s environmental objectives, and create good, local,…
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Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has committed over $100 billion with respect to climate action. The Government of Canada’s “Budget 2021 - A Healthy Environment for a Healthy Economy”, provides a breakdown of this commitment: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2021/04/budget-2021-a-healthy-environment-for-a-healthy-economy.html.
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Mr. Speaker, the two billion trees program is a government-led program that was created with the specific goal of increasing tree-planting efforts. The Minister of Natural Resources, with support from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, was mandated to develop and implement a plan to plant two billion trees over the next 10 years as part of a broader commitment to natural climate solut…
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Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), in 2019, NRCan estimated that approximately 30.4% of the total energy for heating, consumed by Canadian households, originated from outside of Canada. NRCan does not have information past 2019, as the data is still being collected and processed. In response to (b)(i), the following indicates the approximate breakdown by source of household heating energy that origi…
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Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), the Government of Canada considers leading international indices assessing energy security. In response to (b), Canada is one of the most energy secure countries in the world. In 2019, Canada was the sixth largest producer of primary energy in the world. This is demonstrated in the Global Energy Institute’s annual publication, the International Energy Security Risk…
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Madam Speaker, protecting the health and safety of Canadians has been and always will be the top priority of this government. We thank the Auditor General for her report and her findings. Our government will work to ensure that we are implementing the recommendations on a go-forward basis. We have acted quickly and boldly at a time when the Conservative Party wanted us to do less. We will continue…
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Madam Speaker, I am happy to see how popular I am with the opposition. We are focused very much on ensuring that we are doing our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the world at a time when we are also looking to incent the development of a clean growth economy and create good jobs and economic opportunities for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. All non-emitting sources of energy…
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Madam Speaker, I sometimes have a hard time following what the hon. member is saying. Sometimes he wants us to do more. Other times, he wants us to do less. We have worked very hard to protect the health and safety of Canadians, and we will continue to take action for the future.
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Madam Speaker, we certainly thank the Auditor General for her recent report and her findings. Our government has worked extremely hard to protect Canadians and to address the issues associated with COVID-19 based on the latest science and evidence. We are accepting all of the recommendations of the Auditor General, and work is already under way to ensure that we are learning from some of the obser…
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Madam Speaker, as I have said a number of times today, the government has worked very hard to protect the health and security of Canadians, and that is what Canadians expect a responsible government to do. We certainly recognize and acknowledge the recommendations that were made by the Auditor General. We can and shall do better going forward, but we have done extremely hard work. We have put in p…
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Madam Speaker, we thank the Auditor General for her report and findings. Our government has always sought to protect Canadians. We are adapting our response to COVID-19 based on the most recent scientific evidence. We accept all of the recommendations made by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada as a result of this audit. Work is already under way to implement them. We acted swiftly at a ti…
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Madam Speaker, as my hon. colleague knows, Canada has developed a climate plan that is perhaps one of the most detailed and comprehensive in the world. I would invite him to actually read the document. Canada also, I would remind him, has one of the cleanest grids in the world as it exists today. More than 80% of Canada's power comes from non-emitting sources, the vast majority of it from renewabl…
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Madam Speaker, certainly the issue of orphan wells and the environmental liabilities that they represent is a significant issue for all Canadians. As members know, we introduced a program focused primarily on the western provinces during a time of great financial crisis. Typically the issue of the regulation of oil and gas producing companies and the environmental liabilities associated with that …
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Madam Speaker, our government has developed an ambitious climate plan. It is one of the world's most detailed and concrete plans. In the transition toward a net-zero future, we must consider all non-emitting technologies, including wind, solar, hydro and yes, nuclear energy. It is certainly an important part of the mix right now in this country, and we have been supporting the development and the …
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Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate my hon. colleague on his appointment as the critic for natural resources. I would say that no country in the G7 or the G20 has been as ambitious as this country with respect to climate action over the last six years. Certainly, that was acknowledged at COP26. Where is the money? We have committed over $100 billion with respect to climate action that will result …
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Mr. Speaker, our government has very ambitious climate targets in one of the world's most detailed and concrete climate plans. In the transition to a low-carbon economy and to a net-zero future, we must consider all non-emitting technologies, including wind, solar, hydro and, yes, nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is already an important part of Canada's non-emitting energy mix and supports many Cana…
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Mr. Speaker, we are seized with a number of the issues raised by my hon. colleague. We are working very hard to support the endeavours of the industry and of workers and communities across western Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador. We raise these issues at every possible opportunity. I raised a number of concerns with respect to the sector, including Line 5, with my colleague Secretary Granholm…
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Mr. Speaker, the government is working very hard to ensure the economic prosperity of all regions of this country. That very much includes the oil and gas-producing regions within this country. There are many, many things that we have done to ensure we are supporting and actively promoting the interests of the oil and gas sector in this country, including building the Trans Mountain pipeline, defe…
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Mr. Speaker, since 2015, our government has been making a sustained effort on a national scale to implement the necessary measures and to help Canada significantly reduce emissions so that all sectors and all regions of the country can participate and prosper. We are taking meaningful climate action and developing climate solutions that will reduce pollution and create new jobs.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is working with the industry, including Trans Mountain, to decarbonize the energy sector and cap emissions while still remaining competitive and maintaining energy security, affordability and market access. The Trans Mountain expansion allows us to use the resources we have now and the revenue they have generated to fund tomorrow's green energy solutions. We must work t…
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Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, a global effort is under way to stop climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions. As Her Excellency the Governor General mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, our government will cap emissions from the energy sector in a way that will protect both jobs and the environment. We are committed to capping and reducing emissions in the energy sector by 2050, and…
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Mr. Speaker, we welcome the report from the commissioner. While we agree with a number of the commissioner's observations with regard to the structuring of ongoing programming, I think it is important to remember that this particular program was intended to be a temporary COVID response measure to sustain jobs for workers and communities at a time of record low and, at times, negative energy price…
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Mr. Speaker, as someone who grew up in Saskatoon and in the hon. member's riding, I certainly understand the importance of the nuclear industry in this country. Certainly, Cameco and other organizations in Saskatchewan are important drivers of economic opportunity for Saskatchewan families. Nuclear is an important part of the electricity grid in this country. This government has invested in the de…
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Mr. Speaker, we certainly welcome the report by the commissioner, and my officials are presently reviewing its recommendations. While we agree with a number of the commissioner's observations with regard to ongoing programming, one must remember that this particular program was a temporary COVID response measure and was intended to do two things: sustain jobs for workers and communities at a time …
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Mr. Speaker, this government has made historic investments in protecting nature. Over the course of the past number of years, both marine and terrestrial, we have piloted, in partnership with indigenous peoples, many indigenous conservation protected areas as part of that conservation agenda. It is extremely important on the path forward. We have committed to 30% protection by 2030 and are working…
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moved: That Bill C-12, in Clause 22, be amended by replacing subsection (2) with the following: (2) The Minister must make the annual report available to the public within 30 days of receiving it and then, within 120 days of receiving that report, the Minister must publicly respond to the advice that the advisory body includes in it with respect to matters referred in paragraphs 20(1)(a) to (c), i…
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moved: That Bill C-12, in Clause 7, be amended by replacing subclause (4) with the following: (4) The Minister must set the national greenhouse gas emissions target (a) for the 2035 milestone year, no later than December 1, 2024; (b) for the 2040 milestone year, no later than December 1, 2029; and (c) for the 2045 milestone year, no later than December 1, 2034.
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Madam Speaker, ultimately we live in a democratic society, and it is the government that is going to have to be held accountable for its ability to live up to the commitments it makes under this law. What this law requires is an enormous amount of transparency and accountability through all of the measures I just mentioned, and it provides the information on which the voters of this country, who a…
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moved that the bill be read the third time and passed.
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Madam Speaker, to argue a lack of accountability mechanisms in the bill, I would just suggest to my hon. colleague that he read the bill again. It is a legally binding process for the federal government to set climate targets and to bring forward plans every five years, three different progress reports between now and 2030, a 2030 assessment report that has to be tabled within 30 days of the 2030 …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I should say that we have included several elements of Bill C‑215 in Bill C‑12. However, Bill C‑12 is much stronger than Bill C‑215, which was introduced in the House by the Bloc. Bill C‑215 aims for a target of 30% below 2005 levels. That is only a 30% reduction, whereas the targets in this bill are 40% to 45%, which is much stronger.
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Madam Speaker, I find that a very odd line of questioning. This bill, as I understand it, has a majority support of members in this chamber. It is something most of the political parties in this House, with perhaps the exception of the Conservative Party of Canada, believe is important as a step forward in addressing it. I was very heartened when the hon. member actually stood up at the beginning …
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Madam Speaker, climate change has been an enormous priority of this government from the day that it was sworn in almost two years ago. We have developed the strengthened climate plan, which is the first plan that Canadians have ever had that shows in a detailed way how to achieve and exceed the existing target. We made additional investments in the budget. We have worked closely with our American …
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Madam Speaker, this is extremely important. As I said, we are living in a climate crisis. It is critical that Canada have a plan to move forward, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and seize the economic opportunities that will come for countries that are thoughtful about transitioning to a low-carbon future. We do not have a lot of time both between now and 2030, but also between now and 2050, be…
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