So V ote

Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 3:13:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, this is a policy that is about addressing affordability for folks who are suffering from the fact that heating oil is a much more expensive way to heat their homes. We will use it in a manner that will enable us to continue the fight against climate change and help folks in the long term with affordability concerns. I would tell the member that we have had discussions with the Government of Manitoba. I look forward to being able to move forward on a joint basis with the Government of Manitoba. I am pleased to see the government in Manitoba actually recognizing the existence of climate change, something the opposition does not do.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 3:08:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said, we are moving forward on a program that will ensure long-term affordability for people who utilize heating oil and that they do so in a manner that is consistent with addressing climate change. I have reached out to my counterpart in the Government of Alberta, and we will be having conversations about how Alberta can participate in this project moving forward. However, I would say once again that it is time, and Canadians expect it, for the Conservative Party to at least tell folks that it believes in climate change and it has a plan for addressing the climate crisis in a manner that is consistent with long-term economic prosperity and affordability. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 3:06:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have been saying, we have a plan to ensure long-term affordability for particularly vulnerable Canadians. The cost of heating oil is two to four times that of natural gas, depending on which province one lives in. It has accelerated over 75% in 2022. It is a plan that actually addresses that in a way that will give savings to people over the long term. It will do it in a manner that fights climate change. I had the opportunity to speak with Premier Eby about it last week, and I believe that the people in British Columbia will have access to exactly the same proposal as people will have everywhere else.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 3:01:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend across the way used the word “revolting”. What is revolting are the tactics and the circus act that are going on in the natural resources committee, blocking the passage of Bill C-49. It is endangering the health and safety of the translators in that committee. It is an enormous waste of taxpayer money. It is opposing the Conservative Premier of Nova Scotia and the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. The bill would create jobs and economic opportunity for the future in a manner that is consistent with fighting the climate crisis. Shame on him.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 3:00:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think every party in this House is concerned about affordability issues, but the only party in this House that does not care about the climate crisis is the Conservative Party of Canada. It is the only party that actually has no plan to address it and does not even believe that climate change is real. Yesterday, the Leader of the Opposition essentially said he would walk away from Canada's climate targets. He would walk away from every member of the international community. He would walk away from our children's future. He would walk away from a clean economy that would actually create jobs and economic opportunity across the country. Shame on him.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 2:59:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, it is important to actually have a plan to address critical affordability issues in a long-term way, but also to continue to address the climate crisis. Those are the measures that we have put into place. I have to say again that I find it the height of hypocrisy that my hon. colleague across the way, who ran on a platform that included putting a price on pollution, gets up in the House today and actually says what he is saying. It is the height of hypocrisy.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 2:42:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, it is shameful that the party opposite has no plan to address a crisis that is facing all of humanity. I would tell colleagues that, in the modern age, having recognition and acceptance of the realities of climate change is critical to having an economic plan that can be relevant for the future. What we hear is that the Leader of the Opposition will cancel the Volkswagen battery manufacturing plant, that he opposes offshore wind and hydrogen development in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, that he would get rid of the Canada Infrastructure Bank and that he would eliminate the small modular reactor project at Darlington. He is opposed to everything. At the end of the day, he has no plan for the economy and he has no plan for the environment— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 2:40:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, we put forward a plan that addresses affordability in the long term for vulnerable Canadians who are suffering from high costs associated with home heating oil, which have accelerated significantly in the last two years. We have done it in a manner that is consistent with the fight against climate change, a fight that is not just Canadian but is also happening in countries around the world. I would say that it is the height of hypocrisy for the member opposite to be talking about this, a price on pollution that they endorsed in their campaign platform. It was part of the basis on which he was elected to the House.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 2:37:15 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-49

Mr. Speaker, we have a serious plan, a real policy, that addresses affordability and addresses the climate crisis. The leader of official opposition has no plan. He mouths tag lines like “technology, not taxes”. This is coming from a guy who has zero background in technology and zero background in business. This is coming from somebody who has been opposing the deployment of offshore wind technology through the passage of Bill C-49, which is supported by the Conservative Premier of Nova Scotia and the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. Shame on them for having no plan for climate change and having no plan for the economy of the future.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 2:35:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this policy choice is about both affordability and ensuring that we are addressing the climate crisis. I call on all provinces and territories to join us. Certainly the Government of Ontario has indicated an interest in moving forward with co-delivering this project, which will be enormously important going forward. Yesterday, the Leader of the Opposition essentially said that he will walk away from Canada's climate targets, eroding Canada's credibility in the international community and eroding the ability of the world to address the climate crisis. This is enormously reckless. It is an enormous risk for the future of our children. Shame on him.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/7/23 2:34:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times in this House, we have taken action that addresses affordability for particularly vulnerable Canadians. Heating oil costs two to four times that of natural gas. It accelerated by 75% in 2022. We have done this in a manner that addresses the climate crisis at the same time, and ensures affordability for people going forward. They will save $2,500 a year. It applies to people who live in every province and territory in this country, so long as provinces and territories step up. The shame in this chamber is that the Conservative Party has no plan to address the climate crisis. I do not even know if the Conservatives believe in it, but they certainly do not act as though they think it is important.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/6/23 2:43:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party, as is often the case, is leaving out many important facts. Eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back in the rebate than they pay for the price on pollution. It is an important part of having a robust plan to address climate change in a thoughtful way. With respect to home heating, it is a particular issue that we can invest in to ensure we are saving money for people, as we move forward, while continuing to address climate change. The Conservative Party is hiding. It is hiding from science. It is hiding from evidence. It needs to have a plan to fight climate change. Canadians expect more.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/6/23 2:33:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to Canadians that people are serious in bringing forward policy prescriptions, not simply tag lines. We have put into place measures that will address a critical affordability issue. Home heating oil is two to four times as expensive as natural gas. It went up 75% during 2022. There is an opportunity to reduce the energy cost for people on an ongoing basis, all while addressing the issue of climate change, something that the Leader of the Opposition clearly does not believe in. It is something that is important for Canada. It is important for the 270,000 Ontario homes that currently heat with heating oil.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/6/23 2:23:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important to have thoughtful public policy prescriptions that address issues around affordability in a long-term way, but that also address the issue of climate change. I would say the only person hiding in this chamber is the leader of the official opposition, who is hiding the fact that either he does not believe in climate change or he does not think it is very important. He has not spoken the words “climate change” since he was elected, and he has no plan. At some point he needs to tell Canadians what his plan is to address the climate crisis.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/6/23 2:21:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have explained to the Leader of the Opposition through many different question periods over the past number of days, home heating oil is two to four times as expensive as natural gas. It accelerated by 75% in 2022. We have put in place a plan that will enable people to get off heating oil and have free heat pumps. It will save them up to $2,500 a year. It will make things more affordable, and at the same time it will allow us to fight climate change. That is true for the 270,000 households that use heating oil here in Ontario.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/2/23 3:06:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, the issue around heating oil is that it is two to four times as expensive as natural gas as a heating source. It accelerated by 75% in 2022 alone. It is creating a significant challenge for folks. We have developed a program that will ensure that we are able to address that in a long-term, sustainable way through the implementation of free heat pumps. That program will apply in any province and territory that is willing to step up. It is certainly open to the Government of Ontario, and I look forward to discussions with my counterpart in that regard.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/2/23 2:59:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad the hon. member referred to his home province of Manitoba. The new government in Manitoba has reached out to the federal government to engage in a conversation about codelivery for the thousands of homes in Manitoba that actually use heating oil, to ensure they will be addressed in a thoughtful and affordable way. I congratulate the Government of Manitoba for being proactive on this important issue and for its continuing commitment to fighting climate change.

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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Nov/2/23 2:57:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague should know that the 10,000 homes in British Columbia that actually utilize heating oil will, yes, have access to free heat pumps, because the Government of British Columbia is stepping up to work with the Government of Canada to ensure that this will be the case. This is addressing affordability concerns not just for the short term but also for the long term, and is doing so in a manner that is consistent with the government's commitment to fight climate change, a commitment shared by governments around the world and by every party in the House except the Conservative Party of Canada.

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