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

Nov/2/23 2:35:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, do we know what she will do? She will stand with the folks who are having an affordability challenge related to heating oil. It will apply in every province and territory in this country where provinces step up to co-deliver with the federal government. It is a plan that will address the short-term issues for those folks who are most pressed, but it will do so in a manner that will save significant dollars in the long term. It will address it in a manner consistent with fighting the existential threat of climate change. I say this again in the House: It is a shameful thing that, in this country, we still have a political party that does not believe in the reality of climate change and has no plan to address it.

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

Nov/1/23 3:20:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a couple of times, heating oil is up to four times as expensive as natural gas. It creates affordability challenges. We have put into place measures that will ensure affordability and save families up to $2,500 a year going forward, but in a manner that also addresses the climate crisis. I would say to the hon. member, she also may want to do her homework on the programs in place that enable the replacement of natural gas-fired furnaces with heat pumps. It is called the greener homes loan.

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

Nov/1/23 3:00:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, and perhaps the hon. Leader of the Opposition has not heard me, home heating oil is up to four times as expensive as natural gas. It creates challenges with respect to affordability for Canadians. We have come forward with a plan that applies in every province and territory in this country. It will address that particular issue in a manner that will be affordable and will ensure long-term savings for families, but will do so in a manner that continues the fight against climate change, a fight against climate change that would not happen if he was on the other side of the House.

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

Nov/1/23 2:46:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure whether the hon. member is actually listening to the responses, but at the end of the day, heating oil is two to four times as expensive as natural gas. It is a particularly acute issue with respect to affordability. We have come up with a program that will enable folks to put in place something that will save them significant money while being consistent with the fight against climate change. It is, I would say, appalling that in this day and age we still have a party in the chamber, the Conservative Party of Canada, that has no policy on and not even any belief in the reality of climate change. It is time that changed, and Canadians will make that happen in the next election.

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

Nov/1/23 2:40:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps the hon. member does not understand this: Heating oil is two to four times as expensive as natural gas. It is a particularly acute issue with respect to heating and affordability. He should also be aware that the exemption is for three years, during which time, people are expected to implement heat pumps to ensure that they actually have an affordable way to address this issue, but in a manner that is consistent with fighting climate change. This is certainly something that the hon. leader either does not believe in or does not think is important.

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

Nov/1/23 2:32:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, those of us on this side of the House prefer to do good public policy rather than simply playing politics. I know that is an idea that seems to be foreign to the Leader of the Opposition. Heating oil is two to four times more expensive than natural gas. It is a particularly acute issue for people in a number of provinces, not just in Atlantic Canada. The program that we are putting in place applies across the country. It is to ensure that we are addressing concerns around affordability in a thoughtful way, while also addressing concerns around climate change, which I am sure their children will tell them is a very important issue.

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

Nov/1/23 2:28:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. Leader of the Opposition seems to be too busy patting himself on the back to do his homework. At the end of the day, heating oil costs anywhere between two and four times the price of natural gas. It is a particular driver of energy poverty in this country. We have taken steps forward to improve affordability by enabling the implementation of heat pumps, which will save people up to $2,500 a year, but we are doing so in the context of a plan to fight climate change, something he has said nothing about in the year since he became the Leader of the Opposition.

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

Oct/31/23 3:08:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would encourage my hon. colleague to do a little more reading. Home heating oil is two to three times as expensive as natural gas. It is imperative that we enable people to implement heat pumps, to be more affordable, to ensure that they can actually save the $2,500 a year and do so in a manner that is consistent with fighting climate change. We also have programs to encourage the displacement of natural gas-fired furnaces through the greener homes program, through the greener homes loan program and to see the implementation of heat pumps. Certainly folks in Saskatchewan, where I grew up, are very much able to access those programs.

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

Oct/31/23 2:58:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times in the House, the focus is on addressing affordability challenges, particularly as they relate to heating oil. Heating oil is by far the most expensive way to heat a home. The investment in heat pumps will actually save people significant amounts of money, but it will do so in a manner that will continue the battle against climate change, a battle that is an existential threat to the future of the human race and to the future of our children. It is a shame that the political party over there has no plan, nor any belief in the reality of climate change.

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

Oct/31/23 2:50:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have heard words such as “gimmicky” and various things coming from the other side of the House. I would tell members that the person who actually has heating oil in their home will save upwards of $2,500 per year. It is an enormously important affordability measure. We are going to ensure that we address affordability, while we concurrently fight climate change. It is a shame in the House that we still have a political party in this country that does not believe in the reality of climate change. It does not exist in any other G7 country around the world. It is appalling, and Canadians should be shocked at that.

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