44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 6, 2023 10:00AM
- Oct/6/23 10:13:33 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think we all agree that implementing an agreement for managing offshore renewable energy with Newfoundland and Labrador means that there will be a labour issue, perhaps even a labour shortage. Plus, where there are workers, there needs to be housing. How lucky we are to have the minister responsible for housing here with us.
I have a question for him. If the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador were willing to match the federal government's contribution and put in something along the lines of, say, another $900 million for the construction of social and affordable housing over the next five years, would the minister be rushing to meet with government officials to start building these units as quickly as possible?
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for this opportunity to talk about Bill C-49 while standing on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin nation.
I would like to start by acknowledging that indigenous leadership, knowledge and culture are critical to Canada's effort to fight climate change. For hundreds of generations, indigenous peoples have been the stewards of the land and waters, including Canada's oceans, as I was in my home of Unama'kik. It is clear that they continue to have a deep connection to the oceans that surround Canada. In my riding of Sydney—Victoria, the Mi'kmaq have a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the lakes and oceans that surround us.
In the spring of 2022, the federal government, in partnership with the provincial governments of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, announced their joint intention to expand the mandate of existing offshore boards to regulate offshore renewable energy projects. That fall and into this past winter, officials from NRCan invited indigenous groups in Atlantic Canada to engage in the amendments that we are discussing today. That invitation was accepted, and government representatives were able to share information with interested indigenous communities about the proposed amendments and listen to the initial thoughts on the evolving offshore energy industry. As this bill was tabled, NRCan reached out again to indigenous groups and proposed further meetings, so they could discuss these amendments in even greater detail.
I can assure the House that the government remains committed to learning from and sharing information with indigenous groups, so we can better understand how offshore wind turbines and the economy they support will support indigenous peoples, including those in Sydney—Victoria.
Engagement efforts continued in the two regional assessments for offshore wind development in Atlantic Canada that were launched in March. Before they began, an independent committee was assembled to lead each assessment and work alongside indigenous groups to seek nominations for committee members. These members are required to develop and carry out indigenous participation plans, and the perspectives and knowledge of indigenous peoples will also be sought through indigenous knowledge advisory groups that were created for each regional assessment.
This government is deeply grateful that indigenous peoples are playing key roles in the development and success of Canada's energy industries. As project leaders, company owners, skilled managers and workers, and holders of indigenous knowledge, they are critical to observing, interpreting and addressing climate change.
Indigenous energy leadership is continuing into the clean technologies space, and I can attest first-hand that EverWind is looking to build a hydrogen production facility in Point Tupper and planning to power it with three wind farms. It is partnering with the Membertou Mi'kmaq community to jointly develop and operate two proposed farms: the 20-turbine Kmtnuk project and the 15-turbine Bear Lake project. That is an example of indigenous leadership in energy sectors to deliver clean, reliable and affordable power to our grids. These projects will create good, sustainable jobs and secure revenue for nations in the years ahead. These opportunities do not end at our shores; they extend well beyond them.
With global investments in offshore wind set to be worth $1 trillion, this bill is key to ensuring that this success continues. It will bring sustainable jobs and unlock unprecedented economic opportunity for indigenous peoples in my home of Sydney—Victoria and across the country. This is one reason that it is incredibly discouraging to hear the Conservative Party oppose this bill, attempting to block indigenous communities in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador from benefiting from new renewable energy projects.
Some members of the House have expressed concern that offshore energy regulators in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador will not carry out sufficient consultation with the indigenous groups potentially affected by offshore renewable energy projects. However, to the contrary, these boards are extremely capable of carrying out indigenous consultation and accommodation obligations on behalf of the government, and they have done so for many years.
The amendments proposed through this bill will simply clarify what is already established by case law and current practice: that both the Government of Canada and provincial governments can rely on the offshore regulators, the two boards, to fulfill the Crown's duty to consult and accommodate. The government remains ultimately responsible for the quality of the consultations and accommodations. The provinces understand this, and so do we.
By confirming this accords act, we reaffirm our commitments to both joint management Canada's offshore with the governments of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador and ongoing reconciliation with indigenous people.
To further underscore this point, these amendments include the authority for the offshore energy regulators to establish a participant funding program for any matter within their jurisdiction. This authority would ensure that they can facilitate engagement and consultation with indigenous groups and are able to carry out meaningful relationship-building with indigenous groups whose rights may be adversely affected by offshore energy activities.
Taken together, these amendments would strengthen the quality and the credibility of the efforts of the offshore energy regulators and contribute to open, balanced decision-making. It is also consistent with the authorities currently in place for other regulators, such as the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the Canada Energy Regulator and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.
With Bill C-49, both offshore energy boards will have enough resources to undertake indigenous consultation, stakeholder engagement and thorough regulatory reviews of proposed projects. As we advance this legislation, I can assure the members of the House that, going forward, there will continue to be opportunities where indigenous groups are able to provide their valuable feedback on offshore wind.
First, there are two regional assessments that I have previously mentioned, and indigenous people will be included in any calls for information regarding wind energy areas of interest or actual calls for bids. This will allow indigenous groups to participate and lead in the development of good, renewable energy projects.
We know the government has a duty to consult with indigenous people on actions that could impact indigenous or treaty rights. We propose that, with these amendments, the government will be able to rely on Canada-Nova Scotia and Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador offshore energy regulators to meaningfully consult with indigenous groups on the government's behalf and make necessary assessments on the Crown's behalf to mitigate adverse impacts on indigenous and treaty rights. This does not mean that the Crown can abdicate its responsibility to fulfill its duty to consult and accommodate, as some have suggested it does. We actually think that it allows for a more robust process. The Crown will ensure that this duty is met.
I would like to conclude by highlighting the benefits that Bill C-49 will bring to the communities across Nova Scotia and, specifically, Cape Breton. The economic boom in Sydney—Victoria did not happen by chance. It happened because of bold investments and actions on the part of our government. Bill C-49 is another step in that direction.
Amendments to the Canada-Nova Scotia accord would expand the mandate of the Canada-Nova Scotia offshore board to regulate offshore renewable energy projects, including tidal, in the existing Canada-Nova Scotia offshore accord area. As a result, the benefit for all communities in Cape Breton would be vast. Not only would it continue to contribute to our ongoing economic boom through job creation, but it would also bring our province and country another step closer to meeting our emissions reduction targets.
All communities stand to benefit from the passage of Bill C-49. It would represent a vital step in the future of Nova Scotia offshore wind and offshore renewable energy technologies, which have the potential to electrify and decarbonize Canada's economy, creating substantial jobs and contributing to Canada's emerging clean hydro sector. Sydney—Victoria stands to benefit, and so does the rest of Nova Scotia.
It is deeply important that this bill pass swiftly, so indigenous communities such as those in my riding can benefit from the immense economic opportunity and new well-paying, sustainable jobs that will come with the offshore renewable industry. That is why we continue to make indigenous knowledge, and the commitment to protect the environment, an essential part of expanding our offshore energy industry. We continue to encourage our Conservative colleagues to do the same by agreeing to stop their opposition of the creation of new indigenous economic opportunities and by supporting this important legislation.
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Mr. Speaker, I am going to start my speech with some compliments and then move on to the criticisms.
This bill seeks to amend the 1986 agreement, which was not bad, because, even though the Supreme Court said that the federal government has jurisdiction over offshore issues, the federal government entered into an agreement with Newfoundland and Labrador to work together in that regard. That is a good thing, and I want to point it out, because there are not many good things.
At that time, wind energy did not exist. Bill C‑49 will tie the federal government to all parliaments affected once they have entered into the new agreement, which affects the management of offshore wind projects. This bill could pave the way to real action in the area of renewable energy for the east coast. It makes improvements, such as the joint management of renewable offshore energy resources and the option of cancelling seabed oil concessions. It also promotes relations with indigenous peoples and their active involvement in the use of renewable energy. Those were the compliments.
Now, here are the criticisms. Bill C‑49 continues to maintain exploration and development mechanisms that lead to oil drilling. The government may have missed an opportunity here. It could have taken advantage of this opportunity to do something about that.
I want to start by reiterating one thing. When Canada makes international commitments about the environment, protecting biodiversity and fighting climate change, and the whole world sees the political decisions that have been made, it seems to me that at some point, action should follow. An emergency requires immediate action. Even young children understand that word. Given that we are in a climate crisis and biodiversity crisis, every decision made should align with Canada's commitments to fight climate change. We shall see about that.
In April 2019, the government announced a total ban on oil and gas work as well as mining, waste dumping and bottom trawling in all of Canada's marine protected areas. It was also urging other countries to do the same because, as we know, the government likes to lecture. It was telling other countries to do more to protect the environment. Marine refuges, however, were not included in that commitment. I like to say that words matter, and here is an example. Marine refuges were overlooked.
A little later, in 2020, Canada introduced new regulations that exempted future drilling from environmental assessment. The government's intention was to accelerate underwater oil drilling, and this after having lectured other countries.
The bill does not give more teeth to the regional assessments that, by the admission of the individuals in charge, are inadequate. Again, the government could have used Bill C‑49 to address that. I could talk about assessments at length because there are so many irregularities, but again the industry comes out ahead. There are no societal gains here.
In November 2020, the Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board agreed to provide Building Product of Canada, or BP Canada, access to 264,500 hectares of ocean in exchange for a commitment to do exploration work worth $27 million. They say one thing and do another. This area is essential to marine biodiversity. It contains coral and sponges that other marine species use as spawning grounds or nurseries. Fisheries and Oceans Canada said so itself.
Meanwhile, with his customary emotional delivery, the Prime Minister promised to reaffirm Canada's commitment to protect 25% of our lands and waters by 2025 and to reach 30% by 2030. While BP Canada is making its little deals with the board, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has already started watering down his discourse. Regarding offshore drilling projects, he said at a committee meeting that the regulation will guarantee that all drilling projects comply with the strict standards of environmental protection and that the regulation establishes a clear and efficient process for assessing exploratory drilling projects.
In other words, the government supports such projects. Offshore drilling poses a threat to marine life. For example, the acoustic devices used to explore the seabed interfere with the communication, orientation and hunting activities of blue whales and right whales, two endangered species in Canada.
The lighting on the oil platforms and infrastructure is harmful to birds because it causes confusion about places for them to rest, find food and so on.
The Liberal government is committing to marine conservation and claiming it is possible to accomplish that goal while promoting the development of the offshore oil industry. One can see why The Guardian and Oil Change International are saying that Canada is a climate hypocrite.
I would like to remind members that the purpose of exploration is extraction and development.
I want to briefly mention Bay du Nord. Many countries were shocked when the government made that announcement as it was preparing for the COP15 on biodiversity in Montreal. Perhaps that explains the comments of The Guardian and Oil Change International.
Equinor, the company that spearheaded the project, was the one that decided not to move forward with it, at least for the time being. The Minister of Environment and Climate Change who approved the Bay du Nord project used to be a committed environmental activist.
Regardless of the outcome of Bay du Nord, this first deep-water project, with the government's about-face, doublespeak, selective terminology and broken policy and climate commitments, Canada is being two-faced, acting like a good participant when, let us face it, under the changes set out in Bill C‑49 it is still quite likely that permits will be granted and offshore oil activities will be promoted.
Just days after introducing Bill C‑49, the government announced new drilling permits to double offshore oil production.
The Bloc Québécois believes that the devil is in the details. If the government wanted us to oppose this then it went about it the right way, in other words introduce a good bill and the next day announce more drilling. One might say it is sabotaging its own legislation. The government had an opportunity to show that it could let go of fossil fuel. There is still time for that. We are used to the greenwashing language that the Prime Minister has mastered.
That said, legislation paving the way for renewable energy in this region of Canada would be good. I repeat: Weaning ourselves off fossil fuels is imperative. Just like western Canada, the Maritimes need a helping hand to do that. In both regions, the environment and biodiversity are under attack.
Our caucus has serious doubts about the probity of the commitments set out in Bill C‑49. What better ruse could there be than to slip poison into an innocent-looking treat that everyone likes? We will be watchful.
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- Oct/6/23 1:05:14 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-1
Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that the Conservatives across the way talk about listening. I appreciate the comments the member has put forward, but I want to focus on giving a comment that she can respond to.
When we look at the support for this legislation, Premier Andrew Furey has said, “Newfoundland and Labrador is perfectly positioned in a green energy transition. Part of that transition requires offshore wind so our province can become a world leader in green hydrogen. We continue to support the Government of Canada on Bill C-49 and urge other federal parties to do the same.”
We can talk about one province affected by this, and in fact, all of Atlantic Canada. There is a very powerful message here. If one supports the Atlantic region and potential economic and opportunities in the future, why would the Conservatives not support legislation of this nature?
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-49 is a clear demonstration of our government's commitment to that transition to clean energy. We will have, for the short term, continued extraction of carbon-based fuels in our country. Bill C-49 would be a very important way of enabling the offshore energy boards to bring in clean energy, such as wind. I talked in my speech about how important this is for sustainable jobs and the economy, and to help us tap into what is needed in the world right now to decarbonize our economy.
I do not necessarily agree with my colleague's premise, but I think this is an important step in making sure that clean energy is available in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia for clean energy projects.
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