Liberals Continue to Get in the Way
Ottawa, ON – Shannon Stubbs, Conservative Shadow Minister for Energy and Natural Resources, released the following statement on the Liberals’ continued delays of major projects:
“Mark Carney promised to approve major projects at speeds not seen in generations, but over a year into office, the lack of results shows it’s just another illusion. Now, the Liberals have announced they’re moving at speeds Canadians have come to expect by hitting the brakes and extending consultations, instead of fast-tracking the projects Canada needs for affordability, self-reliance, and sovereignty.
“After a decade of Liberal decline, the last thing Canadians need are more endless consultations that are just another excuse to delay and block shovels in the ground. Canada has already lost $176 billion in cancelled or killed energy projects, and $1 trillion in investment and capital since 2015.
“Carney was given a mandate to ‘build, baby, build.’ Dominic LeBlanc, the Minister responsible for Bill C-5, said Canadians had entrusted the Liberals to ‘do things differently and better and move nation-building projects forward.’ That’s why Parliament worked to rush through and pass the extraordinary powers in Bill C-5 that Carney said were needed for him to ‘expedite nation-building projects and unleash economic growth’.
“Over a year after its passage, not one project has been designated as being in the national interest, and no new projects are being built that were not previously approved or already under construction. The Liberals also promised two-year approval timelines yet refused to put that commitment into law. They even voted against my amendment to Bill C-5 that would have established those timelines and ensured accountability and transparency.
“Now the Liberals try to claim their legislation won’t work to get projects built, and they need to change the regulatory framework again. That’s what Conservatives have said all along. If Carney wants to build, it’s time to repeal the anti-development laws and growth-blocking regulations the Liberals keep in place.
“More uncertainty, more delays, more of the same politics over progress. Canadians don’t need more consultations, discussion papers, and delays; they need the Liberals to get out of the way. Canada has 127,000 Canadian trades workers who are looking for work and billions in natural resources, ready to be developed.
“With growing geopolitical instability and Canada now being the only G20 country in a recession, Canada desperately needs legislative and regulatory overhaul urgently to get major projects built for strength at home for unbreakable leverage abroad.
“If Carney truly agrees that Canada is in a ‘crisis,’ he should act and remove Liberal anti-development barriers – including the 12 laws and 7 regulations identified on the back of Bill C-5 – that the Liberals admit block the projects, investment, and economic growth Canada needs to be sovereign, united, and secure.
“Governments don’t build things; the private sector does. This latest delay in consultations on changes to project approval legislation is just another example of the Liberals’ delay and refusal to do what must be done to develop Canada’s natural resources.
“Canada can’t afford discussion papers and delays any longer. It’s time to unleash Canada’s economy, let the private sector build, create good-paying jobs and build strength here at home.”