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QUESTION PERIOD — Natural Resources

Oil and Gas Industry

October 17, 2022


My question again is for the government leader in the Senate, and again it has to do with energy and heating costs in this country, which are rising at astronomical speed right now, and Canadians, of course, in this vast, beautiful, cold country of ours need to heat their homes as the winter comes around.

It’s a very simple question, government leader. Why is it that in a country like Canada, where we’re sitting on an abundance of oil and gas, in our province of Quebec and in Atlantic Canada, 50% of the oil is being imported from foreign sources? Explain that to me.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate) [ - ]

I would be happy to explain — thank you for your question — the fact that there is — currently the oil that we receive by rail from the West is insufficient to meet Canadians’ needs. Despite the important legislative and jurisdictional powers of the federal government in these matters, with regard to energy and the environment, these are shared jurisdictions with the provinces, so it is not simply possible for any federal government by fiat in Canadian federalism to dictate what pipelines perhaps could be built across Quebec’s territory to help fuel and heat the homes of Canadians, whether in Quebec or in Atlantic Canada. Until such time as we are able to be completely self-sufficient in each and every region, without the requirement of traversing provincial borders or requiring provincial consent, we’re stuck with the situation where we are doing the best we can to provide the energy that Canadians need to run their businesses and heat their homes.

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