Environment Committee on June 18th, 2024

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Okay. So I will move on to another question.

My next question is for the representatives of the Department of the Environment.

The federal government has announced significant funding for the energy transition. In fact, the private sector and the western provinces will be able to benefit from numerous subsidies and investment tax credits, particularly for carbon capture and nuclear energy development.

In return, the federal government offers a 15% tax credit to Crown corporations such as Hydro‑Québec for the development of green projects. Let's just say that Hydro‑Québec is already quite green. However, a windfall of public money is being sent out west.

The federal government is now interfering in the management of public corporations in Quebec by requiring Hydro‑Québec to use this tax credit to lower people's electricity bills and to publicly disclose how it has reduced the cost of electricity for taxpayers.

Will Ottawa require western oil companies to publicly disclose how billions of dollars in public funds have reduced our carbon footprint?

[Jean-François Tremblay]

With respect to tax credits, I would have to defer to my finance colleagues. That's why I don't want to get into too much detail about that.

To answer your question, I would say that the government developed this to guarantee decarbonization and growth in clean energy production. We also wanted to make sure that the bill would not be passed on to taxpayers, so we made changes. That's why this measure was put in place.

In terms of the specifics of how the tax credit for decarbonization of the oil and gas sector will work, I can't speak to that because I don't have it in front of me right now.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

No. I don't want to know how the tax credit works, but rather whether oil and gas companies will be required to do the same thing as Hydro‑Québec.

[Jean-François Tremblay]

I also can't tell you about the conditions related to tax credits at this time, because I don't have that information in front of me.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Okay. I'll try something else.

[Jean-François Tremblay]

I don't know if John has information on the conditions.

[John Moffet]

Environment and Climate Change Canada will support Finance Canada in analyzing whatever input is required from companies. It will be Finance Canada that will stipulate the conditions, and I think the Minister of Finance is on record saying that they anticipate providing those details this summer.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

You have five seconds left, Ms. Pauzé.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

As we say back home, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. In other words, if we ask Hydro‑Québec—

[An hon. member]

I really feel sorry for the interpreters.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Oh, yeah! Ha, ha!

I'm thinking that if Hydro‑Québec is going to be asked to prove that this tax credit reduces the cost of electricity for taxpayers, then I want the oil and gas industry to be very transparent as well. We talk a lot about transparency here; so we would ask them to be very transparent as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Thank you.

Ms. Collins, you have the floor.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank the witnesses and experts for coming, the officials.

Mr. Tremblay, you mentioned wildfires in your opening remarks. I just noticed that we didn't get a copy of your opening remarks.

[Jean-François Tremblay]

They were not distributed. I was because I rewrote them. I'm sorry that happened. I can make sure you get them.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

That's wonderful.

In the future, when you're appearing, if you could submit them in both languages before that so the committee can have them, it would be helpful.

[Jean-François Tremblay]

It was too long, and I didn't want to waste too much of your time. I'm sorry.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

The first question I have is around wildfires. We know that last year was just an excruciating, record-breaking wildfire season. We expect to have these kinds of wildfire seasons from now on. Already this year, the hectares burned are getting close to the 20-year average, and we're not even halfway through the year.

The New Democrats have been calling for a national wildfire service. We know that the military has been talking about how they don't have enough personnel to respond to the increase in disaster response. Is this something that you and your department have been engaged in conversations about?

[Jean-François Tremblay]

Yes. I can also point to Parks Canada on this effort.

On our side, what is very important is to provide all the accurate information for all the decision-makers. That's not just the federal government; it's also provinces and local governments, because we do provide meteorological services to all Canadians 24-7.

As you said, the climate is more unpredictable, let's put it that way, and we also see a significant shift. I was talking with my friends from Parks Canada, who said that, at some point, you can have snow one day and 27°C three days after—

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Because we have a limited amount of time, could we focus on wildfires?

[Jean-François Tremblay]

What we focus on, in our case, is building up our capacity to be able to support our friends at Public Safety in their effort. As I mentioned, we also make sure that we have ongoing funding and more funding to support decision-makers.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Have you had conversations about the idea of a national wildfire service?

[Jean-François Tremblay]

I don't personally have discussions about what that should look like, but we have discussions about how we are getting more effective at responding to the demands, for sure.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

What I'm hearing is that there have been no discussions about the creation of a national wildfire service or the possibility of that with your department.

[Jean-François Tremblay]

I'm not part of discussions on this at this stage, for sure.

Maybe Andrew has some information.

[Andrew Campbell, Senior Vice-President, Operations, Parks Canada Agency]

We are perhaps the only federal department that has firefighters on the ground beside those who are with the Canadian Armed Forces. That is all run through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Within that system, all of the inter-agency groups work together in order to be able to move firefighters across the country, so we would have firefighters moving—