IQALUIT, NT – The Honourable Andrew Scheer, the Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and of the Official Opposition, issued the following statement on the Senate passing Bill C-69:
“This is a sad day for Canada. With the passage of Bill C-69, Justin Trudeau finally has his law that will phase out Canada’s oil and gas industry.
“This has been Trudeau’s objective all along, to eliminate the industry and the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who rely on it for their livelihoods. He told Canadians on January 13, 2017 that he wanted to “phase out” the oil sands, and Bill C-69 is how he will do it.
“Nine out of ten Premiers, representing all political stripes, have called on Trudeau to scrap or amend this job-killing legislation. Instead of listening to their concerns, Trudeau lashed out and attacked their credibility, recklessly accusing them of threatening national unity.
“Instead, it’s Trudeau himself who has caused unrest with the provinces, with disastrous legislation like Bill C-69 that tramples on their jurisdiction and destroys Canadian industry.
“Conservatives have said all along we would repeal this legislation, and we will. Bill C-69 will be history after this October.
“While Trudeau divides Canadians and attacks our energy workers, and Conservatives have a plan to unite Canadians, get Canada’s resource sector back to work, and help all Canadians get ahead.”
QUOTES REGARDING BILL C-69:
““Bill C-69 needs to be rewritten.”
* Rachel Notley – Former Premier of Alberta and the current Leader of the Alberta NDP (SOURCE: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-bill-c-69-needs-to-be-rewritten-two-premiers-warn-project-approval/)
“The government needs a rethink. If it pushes through Bill C-69, it will create irreversible economic damage to attracting investments to Canada’s resource sector. Even worse, it will further heighten interregional conflict. It needs to be seriously revamped — or withdrawn.”
* Jack Mintz – President’s Fellow of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary (SOURCE: https://business.financialpost.com/opinion/jack-mintz-how-bill-c-69-could-escalate-regulatory-costs-until-projects-become-unworkable)
“The world needs oil and gas from Canada but now the federal government is blocking Indigenous communities from building sustainable opportunities to supply it – like we don’t control our own traditional territories.”
* Martin Louie – former Chief of the Nadleh Whut’en (SOURCE: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/11/06/1646323/0/en/A-National-Coalition-of-Chiefs-have-united-in-support-of-oil-and-natural-gas-development-demanding-the-federal-government-stop-Bill-C-48-and-Bill-C-69.html)
“We don’t want to open the door for big environmental NGOs to delay or disrupt projects in our territories,”
* Stephen Buffalo – CEO, Indian Resource Council (SOURCE: https://aptnnews.ca/2019/03/21/stop-killing-pipelines-and-prosperity-say-indigenous-leaders/)
“Forty or so oil and gas producing First Nations are losing $200-million each year in royalties, compared to 2012, due to the price deferential and a lack of pipeline access for the products. That computes to about $18,000 per family, per year.”
“Our neighbours in rural communities of Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. who are rig workers, drillers, truckers, think we are the problem — that we are killing their jobs, their livelihood and their ability to support their families. We also have families to support.”
* Bruce Dumont – Former president of the B.C. Metis Nation (SOURCE: https://aptnnews.ca/2019/03/21/stop-killing-pipelines-and-prosperity-say-indigenous-leaders/)
“So, when government’s talk about reconciliation with indigenous groups, you can’t pick and choose the groups you want to work with because they agree with you. We shouldn’t be telling other people in their territories what they should and should not do.”
* Chief John Helin – National Coalition of Chiefs (SOURCE: http://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/headline-politics/episodes/66003913)
“If the bill is approved as amended by the House, it will hurt our capacity to create the interprovincial transmission lines necessary to create modern electrical grids in Canada, it will challenge our ability to improve our ports to keep Canada connected to global supply chains, and it will make it harder to develop the infrastructure and rail networks that keep Canadians an Canadian goods moving.”
“The repercussions will hit manufacturers, exporters, and even down to the technology companies that provide software and services to our major infrastructure creators. The impacts will be severe across Canada – we cannot afford a bill that will limit the capacity of our economy to fire on all cylinders.”
“The future of Canada’s competitiveness hangs in the balance.”
* Aaron Henry – Director Natural Resources and Environment Policy Canadian Chamber of Commerce (SOURCE: http://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/headline-politics/episodes/66003913)
“Yet this bill, if passed, would create enormous uncertainty, more red tape and increased court challenges. And not only for the energy sector: The IAAct, which includes a variety of untested requirements, will apply to virtually every major infrastructure project in Canada for years to come.”
* Martha Hall Findlay – President and CEO of the Canada West Foundation; Former Liberal MP for Willowdale (SOURCE: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-bill-c-69-is-the-antithesis-of-what-the-regulatory-reform-effort-hopes/)
“Bill C-69 continues to provide vague guidelines and uncertain, longer timelines. This is simply unacceptable for manufacturers across Canada who need clarity and predictability.”
* Denis Darby – President and CEO Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (SOURCE: https://cme-mec.ca/blog/c69-amendments-rejection/)
“Adopting Bill C-69 without the Senate’s proposed amendments is putting Canada’s economic future in jeopardy, and sacrificing the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Canadians by introducing an unworkable Bill that increases uncertainty for investors and makes it harder for those directly impacted by projects to participate.”
* Tim McMillan – President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Energy Producers (SOURCE: https://www.capp.ca/media/news-releases/bill-c-69)