Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I have outlined some of the key background elements of this project, including those that occurred before our government came to power. However, as this matter is before the courts, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on the specific case. I would say that our government is fully committed to renewing nation-to-nation relationships with Canada's indigenous peoples.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to address the issue and the question raised by the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands regarding Site C. I appreciate the passion with which she speaks of this matter. During and subsequent to the recent election campaign, we on this side of the House have clearly stated that we are committed to working collaboratively with Canada's indigenous peoples to achieve results that will be beneficial for all Canadians.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, the minister is restoring the confidence in environmental assessments in ensuring that decisions are based on the best available scientific evidence. As the hon. member knows, this is under active consideration. The minister had asked for an extension to consider alternative sites.

Natural Resources  Madam Speaker, in response to some of the comments and questions raised by the hon. member, I would simply say that one of the fundamental divides that exist in this House is that there is a party over here that actually believes that climate change is an issue and it needs to be addressed; and on that side of the House we have a party that actually does not believe that climate change is a problem.

Natural Resources  Madam Speaker, I share some common background with the hon. member. I grew up in Saskatchewan. I spent my formative years there. Other than my home province, it is a province that I know well and love very much. Canadians, in particular western Canadians, know that reducing greenhouse gas emissions will make our economy more competitive, not less competitive.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, again, this government understands that work on the environment and the economy go hand in hand. We have a plan with respect to climate change that involves a range of tools around carbon pricing, around mitigation measures across various sectors, and around a range of different measures that will allow us to meet the commitments we made in Paris.

Parks Canada  Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend my colleague from Saint John—Rothesay for his advocacy on this important issue. The Minister of Environment and Climate Change was pleased to recently visit Saint John, where she announced investments totalling more than $21 million in several Parks Canada sites across southern New Brunswick.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, in the fall of 2014, the former government approved the project and set out a range of legally binding conditions with which the proponent must comply. BC Hydro must meet the requirements set out in the decision, and we are active in verifying compliance. We will continue to be proactive in that regard.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member also knows, the Woodfibre project was actually approved on Friday, because we had thoroughly assessed the science and the data, and made the decision that it could move forward in an environmentally sustainable way. We are going to take the time with the Pacific NorthWest project to ensure that we understand the science and the data before we make an appropriate decision.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the House understand that the environment and the economy go hand in hand in the modern era. We are working through the process to ensure that the science and data associated with ensuring that good decisions are made are fed into the process. As we discussed, the Woodfibre project was approved on Friday.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, as we promised during the election campaign, our decisions relating to environmental approvals will be based on science and data, and indigenous consultation. Our government is ensuring that environmental risks associated with resource development projects are addressed before projects are allowed to proceed.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, I would just like to quote some of the words of President Obama from this morning. He stated, “I’m especially pleased to say the United States and Canada are fully united in combatting climate change”. This government, in the short five months that it has been in power, has been part of creating a historic global deal on climate change, has started down the path of developing a pan-Canadian framework with the provinces and territories to address climate change, and today announced concrete continental measures to address it.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, with respect to methane emissions, to achieve real progress we have decided to take joint action with the United States to reduce methane emissions across the industry. The former Conservative government talked about this for years. We are getting it done. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas emission with a global warming potential 25 times that of carbon dioxide.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, in the fall of 2014, as members know, the former government approved a project and set out a series of legally binding conditions with which the proponent must comply. B.C. Hydro must meet the requirements set out in these conditions and we are verifying that it is in fact the case.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, as I said in my previous response, this government continues to engage with first nations and other indigenous organizations and peoples to ensure that we are developing a nation-to-nation approach. With respect to the specific matter of Site C that is before the court, I cannot comment on the specifics of it.