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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson

  • Member of Parliament
  • Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
  • Liberal
  • North Vancouver
  • British Columbia
  • Voting Attendance: 62%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $134,232.65

  • Government Page
  • Nov/9/23 2:48:05 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-49 
Mr. Speaker, as I have said before in the House, people may be entitled to their opinions but they are not entitled to their own facts. The commissioner this morning actually said that it was effective and it was working, and so do all of the academics. I do not know where that person gets her facts, but at the end of the day, the facts are the facts. The fact is that those folks do not have a plan for climate change, but they also do not have a plan for the economy. In fact, right now, in the natural resources committee, the Conservatives are blocking moving forward with Bill C-49, which is about enabling the development of an offshore wind and hydrogen program in Atlantic Canada, something that is supported by the Conservative Premier of Nova Scotia and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is bizarre.
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  • Nov/9/23 2:40:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as is too frequently the case in the House, the member is just factually wrong. At the end of the day, the previous Conservative government got almost nothing built, including zero LNG facilities, because it gutted the environmental assessment process. It paid no heed to environmental impacts and did not have a climate plan. At the end of the day, we have put in place measures to ensure that we are going to see good projects go ahead, including offshore wind in Atlantic Canada, battery manufacturing plants in Bécancour, the Volkswagen electric vehicle plant, Air Products' hydrogen plant and a whole range of other things. We have to have a climate plan if we want to have an economic plan. The Conservatives have neither.
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  • Mar/21/23 2:54:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times in the House, affordability is extremely important to every member in every party here. We have taken significant steps, including doubling of the GST tax credit, enhancement of the workers benefit, investments in energy efficiency and a number of other things to address affordability issues. Eight out of 10 Canadian families will get more money back than they pay with respect to the price on pollution. It is, in effect, an affordability measure in itself. Canadians not only expect their politicians to be smart and thoughtful and to address affordability issues but also to believe in and address climate change.
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  • Feb/16/23 2:47:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times in this House, it would be enormously important for Canada if we actually had an official opposition that believed in the reality of climate change and understood that we actually had to have a plan to address climate change. Like our American, British, German and French friends, we plan to address it in a manner that will promote economic growth and opportunity in every region of this country. We are working to do exactly that to ensure we leave a planet that is sustainable and prosperous for our kids.
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  • Feb/16/23 2:36:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a critically important issue for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. It is fundamentally why we have rolled out a number of programs to try to support those who are most vulnerable. It is exactly why the price on pollution is refunded, so that eight out of 10 Canadian families, particularly those who live on modest incomes, receive more money than they pay in terms of the price on pollution. The Conservatives keep quoting the PBO report. I would invite them to actually read it.
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  • Feb/15/23 2:39:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, the Conservatives conveniently ignore that eight out of 10 Canadian families actually get more money back than they pay with respect to the price on pollution. In the modern age, it is not a responsible position for a political party in this country to take to simply ignore the reality of climate change, which the Conservatives do, conveniently, every day in this House. To have a relevant economic plan for this country, we need to have a plan to fight climate change. That is exactly what we are doing—
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  • Feb/15/23 2:39:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, my Conservative colleagues missed the point that over eight out of 10 Canadian families actually get more money back than they pay in the context of the carbon tax— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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  • Feb/14/23 2:46:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the hon. member points out that British Columbians do not get a refund, as every Canadian who lives under the federal system does. Eight out of 10 Canadians get more money back under the federal system. If he has a problem with how that process is implemented, and I believe the hon. member used to be a member of the political party that brought the price on pollution in, he should raise it with the premier.
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  • Feb/14/23 2:45:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would also remind my hon. colleague, who comes from the same province I do, that it was in 2008 that the British Columbia government put in place the first price on pollution in North America, showing enormous leadership in the fight against climate change. If he has a problem with the price on pollution in British Columbia, he might want to raise that with the premier.
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  • Feb/14/23 2:45:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague that eight out of 10 Canadian families actually get more money back than they pay on the price on pollution, but I would also remind— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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  • Feb/14/23 2:33:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the opposition members know full well, even though they actually do not say it publicly, that eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back than they pay in the price on pollution. Certainly, affordability is a critical issue, but so is climate change. I would say it is enormously rich for a party that cannot even acknowledge the reality of climate change to be asking about the government's climate plan.
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  • Feb/14/23 2:33:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important in the House that we are actually not misleading Canadians. As the official opposition members know, eight out of 10 Canadian families— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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  • Feb/13/23 2:34:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, less than two years ago, the Conservative Party took the position that climate change was not even real. Then last year, the leadership went through a process where it put together a climate plan, the centrepiece of which was a price on pollution. All of the Conservative members in this House were elected on a platform that included a price on pollution. Now, once again, under a new leader, the Conservatives have stopped talking about climate change and they attack the idea of pollution pricing. Given their history, how can Canadians believe anything they say?
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  • Dec/13/22 3:09:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, the value of Bitcoin increased significantly and then crashed spectacularly, and for the Conservatives, that was an economic plan. Canadians deserve thoughtful plans to address their very real concern about climate and about the economy, not reckless rhetoric from Conservative politicians.
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  • Dec/13/22 3:08:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in 2004, the Liberal government in Ontario moved to shut down coal-fired power, and the federal Conservative Party claimed that was its climate plan. In 2008, the global economy crashed, bringing emissions down with it for a time, and the Conservatives called that a climate plan. This year, the value of Bitcoin failed significantly, and this was an economic— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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  • Nov/29/22 3:01:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said in the House a number of times, affordability is extremely important to all members of the House. This government has taken very significant actions to address that, but I would also say that eight out of 10 Canadian families actually get more money back from the carbon tax, from the price on pollution, than they actually pay. In terms of misleading the House, I would ask the hon. member who asked the question about what he campaigned on in the last campaign, which included putting a price on pollution. I am not sure exactly how he explains that to his constituents. Misleading? Yes, that is very much misleading.
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  • Nov/28/22 2:35:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we need to consider the issue of affordability while continuing to tackle the threat of climate change. We also need to take into account the future cost of climate change inaction, which will be $25 billion by 2025. Part of the solution to the affordability problem in Canada involves tackling climate change.
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  • Nov/28/22 2:34:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are in government, and we are in government in part because we have a credible plan on climate. I think Canadians expect His Majesty's official opposition to have a climate plan, which it clearly does not. Affordability today is critically important, but so is affordability tomorrow. We cannot leave the kinds of costs to our children that we will if we do not address climate change. The Climate Institute estimates $100 billion a year by 2050 if we do not act to mitigate carbon emissions. We are going to do so in a manner that will promote economic opportunity and address climate change.
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  • Nov/22/22 2:45:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, certainly, affordability is extremely important. We have taken significant steps to address affordability issues, including the investment of $250 million for heat pumps yesterday. It is also the case that no matter how much the Conservatives try to mislead the House, eight out of 10 Canadian families actually get more money back than they pay with respect to the price on pollution. Certainly in Newfoundland and Labrador, it will mean money in the pockets of folks there. As I said before, and it bears stating again, every member of that side of the House campaigned on putting in place a price on pollution in the last election. What do they say to their constituents? My goodness.
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  • Nov/22/22 2:34:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that less than two years ago the Conservative Party voted that climate change was not even real. Then, last year, the leadership of the Conservative Party decided that indeed it was real and brought forward a campaign platform that had at least a weak climate plan, the centrepiece of which was putting in place a price on pollution. All of the Conservative members in this House were elected on that platform, but now, once again, they do not talk about climate change and they attack the idea of pricing pollution. How can we believe anything these folks say?
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