Elizabeth May
Mr. Speaker, earlier today, a major report on the safety failures of the pipeline safety system in this country was released by Équiterre. It is a very disturbing record, and it is getting worse.
Fifty-five percent of the oil pipeline incidents in Quebec since 2008 occurred in 2017, most of them involving the Trans-Northern pipeline.
Will the government launch an independent investigation into this unacceptable record of shoddy monitoring and weak enforcement?
Kim Rudd – Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, getting resources to market must be done with the highest regard for safety and the protection of the environment. The Pipeline Safety Act strengthens Canada’s pipeline safety system, enshrining the polluter pays principle in federal law. Companies are liable, regardless of fault.
Our budget 2017 includes $17.4 million for the NEB to enhance its pipeline safety oversight activities, along with a further $1.9 million to provide Canadians with timely access to information on energy regulations and pipeline safety.