Mr. Peter Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster, NDP): Mr. Speaker, we found out yesterday that the Minister of Natural Resources admitted that he did not “know very much about energy projects�.
What cheered me was that he was willing to admit it and ask questions to get facts.
This is novel and unparalleled for a Conservative minister. He actually asked
for facts rather than using the mind-numbing fact-free PMO talking points.
Given this new-found openness to understanding both sides of an issue, will the minister support open and transparent hearings on the Nexen takeover bid?
Hon. Christian Paradis (Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture), CPC): Mr. Speaker, as I said, this is a transaction that will be
scrutinized very closely.
Let me quote Professor Ian Lee from Carleton University on what he said about the NDP proposal. He said,
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It will politicize the process enormously....They're trying to transform these (approval processes) into kangaroo courts.
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As I said, the role of this government is to review the transaction and to see if it will provide a net benefit to Canada. This is what we are doing, and we will do it
in the best interests of Canadians.
Mr. Peter Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster, NDP): Mr. Speaker, that was another fact-free answer. Smart public policy actually involves finding the facts. The Minister of Natural Resources did it once, and I am sure the government can do it again.
Why will the minister not take the advice of the former Conservative minister and take action before other countries, and as Jim Prentice says, start to ....dictate
our environmental policies.
Instead they have gutted Canadian environmental protections, and from FIPA to the Nexen bid, the government ignores the facts.
Why are Conservative ministers only open to other opinions in secret conversations, and why will they not do the right thing on the Nexen takeover bid?
Hon. Joe Oliver (Minister of Natural Resources, CPC): Mr. Speaker, there are thousands of resource projects across the country, with 600 projects monitored by the Major Projects Management Office. I will continue to request briefings to stay current with current developments.
On the other hand, the only thing the anti-development NDP knows is how to oppose, delay and obstruct projects across Canada. If that does not work, it will just tax them to death with their $21 billion carbon tax.
NDP Critic for Canadian Heritage Peter Julian issued the following statement:
"It has come to our attention that a consultant for a federally funded anti-racism project has a disturbing track record of spewing hate speech online against Jewish and francophone communities. This is completely unacceptable. We call on the Minister of Heritage to take drastic action and terminate his contract.
NDP Heritage Critic Peter Julian issued the following statement:
“Today’s announcement by Hockey Canada is another attempt to delay the important and urgent work to deal with the toxic culture in this organization. While a former Supreme Court Justice is a credible appointment to conduct the review into Hockey Canada, this won’t be the first time the organization undergoes this process.
NDP critic for Canadian Heritage, Peter Julian, made the following statement:
“Canadians are horrified by the incidents of sexual assault and by what they’re hearing from Hockey Canada. They are left with many questions about how this toxic culture is allowed to persist in our sports organizations and what the government is actually doing to ensure this doesn’t happen again.