Morneau addresses Trans Mountain, climate change while speaking in Calgary
Posted June 19, 2019 10:12 am.
Last Updated June 19, 2019 9:37 am.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Finance Minister Bill Morneau said his government will continue to address climate change even after approving Trans Mountain.
Morneau made the remarks as he spoke to the Economic Club of Canada in Calgary Wednesday morning, one day after the government approved the pipeline project.
The Finance Minister spoke on the challenges his government faced after the original approval for Trans Mountain was thrown out last summer.
READ MORE: Federal Court of Appeal quashes approval for Trans Mountain
He said Indigenous consultations are critical going forward with future energy projects.
Morneau: pipeline must have indigenous participation going forward. Won’t put a floor or ceiling on what level that could be
— Mike Blanchard (@Blanchard_Mike) June 19, 2019
Morneau also spoke on the question of whether his government can support pipelines while battling climate change.
It comes after the House of Commons declared a national climate emergency the day before the Trans Mountain approval.
“We’re going to approve a pipeline and move forward with a price on pollution. The financial resources that the federal government will achieve as a result of the approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline and the reduction in the discount that we take on our resources means that we’ll generate what we think will be up to about 500-million dollars a year over ten years once the pipeline is in operation and we’re going to put that money towards a greener cleaner future.”
Morneau addressed the issue of climate change, saying his office has written more cheques to Canadians displaced by floods and wildfires than in the previous 40 years combined.
“Of course that challenge is exacerbated in Alberta when we talk about a shift to a low carbon future, it equals a challenge to the sector that has created so much prosperity here.”
While he couldn’t confirm an exact date for the start of the project, Morneau vowed that the expansion would start this construction season.
Several protestors staged a rally outside the Westin Hotel where Morneau was speaking demanding action on the Trans Mountain expansion.
— Mike Blanchard (@Blanchard_Mike) June 19, 2019
