QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
State of the Economy
June 13, 2019
Thank you. Higher carbon taxes combined with the impact of Bill C-48 and Bill C-69 will take a terrible toll on our economy and the financial well-being of families right across our country. Yesterday, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce called the government’s decision to reject most of the Senate’s amendments to Bill C-69 “a dark day for a nation of builders.”
Yet the Prime Minister continues to attack the provinces for seeking changes to the bill and sharing their concerns about our national unity.
Senator Harder, the government’s policies will devastate our energy sector, which is already hurting. These policies will hurt our country as a whole. The Prime Minister can change course, but will he do so? Will your government finally recognize the damage its policies are taking on our country before it’s too late?
I thank the honourable senator for his question. He will know, of course, that I would have a different conclusion than he is drawing from the fact that the economy is leading the G7, that we have the lowest unemployment rate in two generations, and that the transition to a less carbon-intense economy is one that is under way as a result of actions taken by this government, Parliament and Canadians.
With respect to the references to Bill C-69, the view of the government, and, I hope, the ultimate view of this chamber and Parliament, is that Bill C-69 is an important stabilizing piece of legislation in ensuring that our environmental assessment process is one that actually leads to projects being built in a quicker time frame than hitherto.
