Ottawa, ON (September 24, 2018): Today, the Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Leader of the Official Opposition, the Hon. Andrew Scheer, laid out a two-step plan to get the Trans Mountain Expansion built and the steps a Conservative government will take in 2019 to undo the damage Justin Trudeau’s failures have caused.
“After years of failing to deliver results on the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Expansion, Justin Trudeau and the Liberals still have no plan of action to get the pipeline completed,” Scheer said. “What they announced last week gets us no closer to construction or completion of this critical project and what they have done over the last three years has inflicted terrible damage to our energy sector.
“That’s why today I am outlining steps Justin Trudeau should take immediately to get Trans Mountain built and announcing what a Conservative government will do to reverse Justin Trudeau’s failed policies and make Canada a place where energy investments are encouraged.”
These steps include:
- Immediate completion of indigenous consultations
- Appealing the Federal Court of Appeal’s ruling to the Supreme Court
- Repealing Bill C-69 and ending the shipping ban in northern British Columbia
- Enacting legislation to:
- Clarify roles of proponents and governments in consultations
- End foreign-funded interference in regulatory hearings
- Provide certainty on approval timelines and schedules
Scheer reminds Canadians that four pipeline projects were completed under the previous Conservative government without spending one cent of taxpayers’ money. These include Enbridge’s Alberta Clipper, Trans Canada’s original Keystone pipeline, Kinder Morgan’s Anchor Loop, and Enbridge’s Line 9B Reversal. Together, they ship 1.2 million barrels of western Canadian oil every single day.
“The only thing that has changed between then – when pipelines were proposed, approved, and actually built – and now – when pipelines are suffocated to death by government overreach and incompetence – is Justin Trudeau becoming Prime Minister of Canada,” Scheer said.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Step 1: What Justin Trudeau should do right now
- Appoint a Ministerial Special Representative to complete the indigenous consultation process
- Enact emergency legislation to affirm that Transport Canada’s analysis of tanker traffic was sufficient and does not need to be duplicated by the National Energy Board
- Request a stay of the Federal Court of Appeal ruling and appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada
- Support Bill S-245 to clarify that the pipeline is under federal jurisdiction
Step 2: What a Conservative government will do in 2019
- Repeal the Liberal Carbon Tax
- Repeal Bill C-69, the Anti-Pipeline Bill
- End the ban on shipping traffic on the North Coast of British Columbia
- Enact legislation that will:
- Clarify the roles of proponents and governments that are involved in consultations;
- Ensure that standing is given only to those with expertise or who are directly impacted by the project in order to end foreign-funded interference in regulatory hearings; and
- Provide certainty to investors on approval timelines and schedules.
- Use the federal declaratory power to declare a major project ‘for the general advantage of Canada’ under Section 92.10 of the Constitution Act, 1867, where we deem it necessary for future projects.