431-00058 (Natural resources and energy)

The Government of Canada would like to thank the petitioners for their submission.

Recognizing the importance of the energy industry to Alberta and Canada, the government has consistently supported the sector’s workers and businesses in seeking to export their goods to global markets. These efforts include ensuring the viability of the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project by purchasing the pipeline, conducting meaningful consultations with Indigenous communities and advancing such vital projects as the Line 3, Line 5, and the Keystone XL pipelines.

At the same time, it is essential that Canada’s resource projects be regulated in a way that creates good, well-paying middle-class jobs and spurs innovation, while leaving a healthy planet for future generations. The environment and the economy not only can, but must go hand in hand. The government is responsible for ensuring the stability and growth of the Canadian economy and getting the country’s resources to market; however, that is only possible if it achieves the required public trust by addressing environmental, Indigenous, and local concerns.

Bill C-69, which came into force on August 28, 2019, introduced better rules to protect the environment; rebuild public trust; improve certainty and transparency to get good projects built; and create new economic opportunities for Canadians. This legislation also created a single body, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, to lead all environmental reviews of major projects – ensuring consistency and enhancing efficiency. This includes having the Impact Assessment Agency work with the federal lifecycle regulators, such as the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and the Canada Energy Regulator.

This new approach to assessing major resource projects clearly outlines the factors to be considered as part of a review and ensures potential issues are identified earlier in the process. This will lead to more timely decisions and increased certainty for project proponents. Further information on the new impact assessment system is available at:

https://www.canada.ca/en/impact-assessment-agency/services/policy-guidance/impact-assessment-process-overview.html.

The Government of Canada is committed to the competitiveness of the country’s natural resources sector and to attracting new investment. The impact assessment system will help support these goals, as well as better protecting the environment and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. 

The Government of Canada has delivered on its promise to formalize an oil tanker moratorium on British Columbia’s north coast, providing an unprecedented level of environmental protection for this special place and unique ecosystem.

The moratorium is not aimed at constraining economic development, nor at preventing the building of pipelines. In fact, the largest private sector investment project in Canadian history (LNG Canada) was announced in Kitimat, along B.C.’s north coast, in 2018. Furthermore, to protect community and industry resupply, shipments below 12,500 metric tonnes continue to be allowed. The Government has taken a precautionary approach and has focused the law on both crude oils and persistent oil products that are likely to remain longest in the environment if spilled.

The Act requires a mandatory five-year review of the legislation that will enable the appropriate Committee of Parliament to study the full application of the Act. This review will allow for new information, including evidence on technological and scientific developments to be taken into consideration, as well as impacts of the Act on the environment, on social and economic conditions and on the Indigenous peoples of Canada. It will provide the opportunity for all interested Indigenous communities, provinces and stakeholders to express their views after a reasonable period of time with the moratorium in effect.

More broadly, the federal government will continue to work with Indigenous groups and stakeholders across the country to advance measures to enhance marine safety, protect Canada’s natural environment, and support economic development for all.