QUESTION PERIOD — Natural Resources
Support for Energy Sector
June 29, 2021
Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate.
Yesterday, my colleague Senator Martin reminded you of another one of the government’s broken and failed promises from the 2019 election: the one to support the energy sector and energy workers with the introduction of a just transition act. Senator Gold, you blamed your government’s failure to deliver on that promise on the fact that we’re in a minority Parliament, which I find bizarre. The truth is, in this minority Parliament, your government has put out debts, deficits and spending in record amounts, and we have passed them in the House and the Senate as if we were in a Formula 1 race, with no impediment to the government when it comes to dealing with the COVID crisis.
Senator Gold, why won’t you admit that your government just doesn’t care about the energy sector? It’s clear. Just admit that the promises were nothing more than electoral posturing, similar to what you’re doing now by blaming the minority Parliament for your shortcomings.
Neither personally nor as representative of the government will I admit to things that are not true. The government cares about the energy sector; our prosperity has depended upon, and will continue to depend upon, a healthy energy sector.
On the second point, with regard to my answer to our honourable colleague, I was referring to a specific piece of legislation. I was not blaming a minority government nor hiding behind it. I was simply stating what I thought would be an obvious point. In the middle of a pandemic and on top of the changing priorities that necessarily had to be adopted — as you correctly point out, and the government is grateful for the support of parties in the other place and for all groups and senators in this place — I was simply pointing out that certain legislative initiatives may have had to be delayed or put on the back burner, including help for the energy sector and those who work in it, because other priorities had to take precedence.
Government leader, I didn’t expect you to admit it because this government doesn’t take accountability for very much, as we know.
Senator Gold, as mentioned, this Parliament hasn’t stopped you from getting money out the door at super speeds. It also didn’t stop you from introducing bills in the other place at the last minute, if for no other reason than to get them in the window for nice pre-election posturing. For example, Bill C-36, tabled on the final sitting day of the House of Commons, and the disability benefit the day before. But the just transition act has been dropped altogether. Will you just admit that your government doesn’t care about the energy sector and that it thinks it doesn’t need votes from Western Canada, and that’s it and that’s all when it comes to your government’s priorities?
The answer is no. I should probably stop there, so I will.
