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Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson

  • Member of Parliament
  • Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
  • Liberal
  • North Vancouver
  • British Columbia
  • Voting Attendance: 61%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $134,232.65

  • Government Page
  • May/28/24 2:48:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times in this House, it would be useful if the Conservative Party of Canada actually used facts to inform the questions that they ask. Eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back; 300 Canadian economists have said so, and the Parliamentary Budget Officer has said so. It actually works in reverse to income, so people who live on the most modest income get the most money back, and it is part of fixing the climate crisis that threatens the future of our children. The group across the way has no plan for affordability, and its plan for the climate is to simply let the planet burn.
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  • May/21/24 2:42:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' lack-of-common-sense approach to these things is about axing the facts. Every reasonable observer, 300 economists across this country and the Parliamentary Budget Officer are very clear. Eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back, and it is those who live on modest incomes who actually do the best, all while fighting climate change. If the Conservatives have questions, I encourage them to go and talk to the Premier of the Province of Alberta about the fact that she gets more money back than she actually pays. That is a responsible plan to address affordability and to fight climate change.
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  • May/21/24 2:41:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would encourage my hon. friend to actually read the work that was done by 300 economists across this country, which says unequivocally that eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back in the rebate than they actually pay in the price on pollution. That is addressing affordability. In fact, Premier Smith herself said she got more money back for her family than she paid. If the member really is concerned about affordability, I would encourage him to talk to his friend Premier Smith. She just increased the gas price by 13¢; she did so with no rebate and did not account for affordability.
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  • Apr/16/24 2:45:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are focused on ensuring affordability for Canadians moving forward and addressing the climate issue. The price on pollution is an affordability mechanism. Eight out of 10 families get more money back. The PBO has underlined that. Three hundred economists across this country have underlined that. Every one of the Conservative MPs over there ran on a platform that included a price on pollution. That is the height of hypocrisy. Their only plan is to take money away from poor people and let the planet burn.
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  • Apr/15/24 2:48:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important that people are not talking nonsense in the chamber. The Parliamentary Budget Officer actually said that he was extremely troubled by the opposition's selective use of the facts and their spin. Now 300 Canadian economists from across the country have said that the price on pollution is the best way to reduce carbon emissions in a manner that actually addresses affordability. It is a true shame in the House that we have a climate-denying opposition, one that does not care about affordability. It is truly a shame.
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  • Apr/10/24 2:48:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would suggest to my hon. colleague across the House, who is from the great province of Saskatchewan, that she have a conversation with Dr. Brett Dolter at the University of Regina, who has said that eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back, and it is those who live on modest incomes who do the best on a net-benefit basis. It is an affordability program, but it is also a program to address the climate crisis that imperils the future of our children. That these folks have zero plan to address the issue and do not seem to care at all about it is reckless and irresponsible.
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  • Apr/10/24 2:37:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we actually believe in facts, and we believe in science. The hon. member made statements that actually have zero bases in facts. Two hundred economists in this country signed a letter two weeks ago, which said that eight out of 10 Canadians get more money back. The Parliamentary Budget Officer said that eight out of 10 Canadians get money back. They can make up all the things they want to, but the facts are on our side. It is an issue that addresses affordability for Canadians, particularly those on modest incomes. It is a plan to address climate change. Those reckless, irresponsible Conservatives on the other side of the House should be ashamed.
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  • Apr/8/24 2:25:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government has a plan for an affordable and prosperous future. We have a plan that is focused on ensuring that we are building more homes faster, making life more affordable and growing an economy that works for all Canadians. The Conservative leader has no plan for affordability other than a bunch of tag lines. He has no plan for addressing the environment. He has no plan for the economy. We believe in ensuring that Canadians have a fair chance to succeed, and we are acting on that.
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  • Apr/8/24 2:24:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are going to invest in Canadians. That is why we are going to help every generation move forward, especially young Canadians, by building more homes faster and by making life more affordable. This Conservative leader does not understand affordability, does not understand housing, does not understand the economy and does not understand the environment. Everyone deserves a fair chance to succeed. We are putting fairness front and centre.
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  • Feb/26/24 2:35:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think the most appropriate question is: Will the Conservatives actually look at the data? The data will tell us that eight out of ten Canadian families get more money back, and that it is actually an affordability measure. If the hon. member would actually look at the research done by the University of Calgary she would know that. However, I think Canadians really need to understand that the Conservative approach to climate change is to let the planet burn. It is to leave an impoverished environment and an impoverished economy for the future of our children. Shame, shame, shame.
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  • Feb/5/24 2:42:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again we hear misleading rhetoric from the other side of the House. Folks in Canada know that 80% of Canadian families get more money back than they pay. It is an affordability measure as well as something that actually addresses the climate crisis in front of us. It is something that helps the poorest Canadians. In fact, what he wants to do is take away the rebate. He wants to take away, from poor and modest-income people, money that actually helps to pay for groceries, rent and transportation. Shame on you for trying to target those folks and benefit only the wealthy in Canada.
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  • Dec/11/23 2:59:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, not only is the Conservative Party opposed to addressing affordability in this country and not only is it opposed to fighting climate change, it has a hard time keeping its statements straight. In 2008, the Conservative Party platform stated, “We will work...to...implement a North America-wide cap and trade system for greenhouse gases.” The 2021 platform, on which all of these members were elected, stated, “We recognize that the most efficient way to reduce our emissions is to use pricing mechanisms.” More recently, the member for Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, who asked a question here about carbon pricing, sat in Premier Campbell's caucus and voted in—
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  • Dec/7/23 2:20:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a price on pollution is an important part of a climate plan, one that addresses affordability concerns. The vast majority of Canadians receive more money in the rebate than they pay in the price of pollution. The only group to benefit from the Conservative plan to end the climate program and to end the rebate would be the top 20% of earners, while almost everyone else would be poorer as a result of their plan. The Conservatives are fighting for the rich; they are not fighting for Canadians who are concerned about affordability. The carbon price is both a climate measure and an affordability measure.
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  • Nov/21/23 2:35:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague often neglects to mention a whole range of important facts. The price on pollution is an important component of a broad approach to fighting climate change. It is done in a manner that addresses affordability concerns. Eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back than they pay. With respect to home heating oil, it is a specific case. We are focused on ensuring that we do it in a manner that will help us drive the fight against climate change while ensuring affordability for Canadians. It is a responsible and thoughtful approach to public policy, something we never hear from the Conservatives.
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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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