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Thank you, Mr. Chair. Hello, everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the significant investments we are making within NRCan’s main estimates.

I’d like to acknowledge that I am joining you today from the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Squamish, the Musqueam and the Tsleil-Waututh nations.

I look forward to speaking with you about how these estimates are supporting our efforts to build a prosperous and competitive low-carbon economy.

Before I do so, I want to just say that my thoughts are with all of the families and communities affected by the wildfires in Alberta and across western Canada. We are, of course, following the situation extremely closely and, as a government, we will continue to provide federal assistance wherever and however best we can.

Right now, global financial markets are demanding and rewarding low-carbon products. This is because, in recent years, governments like this one have been taking serious climate action to steer markets in that direction. And because, I believe, more and more people are acutely aware of the scientific reality and existential threat of climate change.

This is presenting a generational economic opportunity for those who act boldly to build the economy of tomorrow. We’re fortunate that Canada is well placed to seize this opportunity.

In Canada, there is a choice. We can double down on this trajectory, making a plan for the future that grows the economy and protects the planet for future generations, or we can bury our head in the sand, hoping for the best and letting the world pass us by. This government chooses the former, and we choose to play to Canada's strengths.

Canada's natural resources give us significant advantages in being able to provide the world with clean energy, while creating good jobs here at home. We have a highly trained workforce and are increasing the diversity and strength of our natural resource sectors.

Our economy supports innovation, and our government is promoting the inclusion of indigenous knowledge and expertise, as well as economic participation.

We have an abundance of critical minerals and hydrogen, which the world will be increasingly demanding, as Canada and the rest of the world develop more and more in the way of clean energy and clean technologies.

We offer an outstanding level of stability to investors and allies. Our banking, regulatory, political and legal systems are stable. We have trade agreements with many of the major economies in the world. We develop and meet high environmental, social and governance standards.

The proposed investments that you see here are the next steps in the agenda. They are focused on growing clean energy and clean technologies, which this government has been working on for years.

Having access to clean, affordable and reliable electricity is imperative when it comes to achieving our legislated target of making Canada net zero by 2050. That is why Canada is committed to having a net-zero grid by 2035.

To that end, you'll see there are two main items in these estimates that support the modernization of our electrical grid, namely, the smart renewables and electrification pathways program, as well as the electricity predevelopment program.

To many other countries, our grid is already enviably clean, but we are determined to do even more to protect our environment, while providing affordable, reliable and clean power to all Canadians. Building out the grid and increasing its percentage of clean energy, as well as transitioning to electric vehicles, will allow Canada's municipalities to reduce emissions from vehicles, waste and buildings.

Investments to reduce buildings’ emissions appear again in the estimates through the complementary measures to the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan; our goals are clean air and a strong economy. These investments will help us continue to lower the emissions from homes, schools, hospitals, office buildings and industrial buildings, which is key to getting to net-zero by 2050.

Home energy evaluations and funding from the Canada greener homes grant for energy-efficient retrofits are also in the estimates, as are investments to recruit, train and mentor energy advisers to carry out the evaluations.

Continued support in this area will allow us to carry on our efforts to make our homes more resistant to the effects of climate change. And as global inflation continues to affect hard-working Canadians, these renovations will make their home heating bills more predictable and affordable.

I would also like to touch on our two-billion trees program in the estimates, which achieved 97% of its first-year target in terms of planting, and through which, in just the past six months, we have signed seven agreements in principle with seven provinces and territories. Six of those have signed specific planting commitments underneath the agreements in principle, and we're working with others to expand that collaboration.

We have negotiated multi-year agreements that will see 260 million more seedlings planted across Canada over the program's lifespan, and that's just the beginning. We'll soon be able to provide the total planting numbers for the second year of the program. We have surpassed our federal and urban land planting goals. We are confident we will reach the two-billion target in the next decade, with the provinces, territories, non-profit organizations, businesses, and indigenous governments and organizations.

As you can see, the investments we're proposing in the main estimates have a common goal, no matter the topic: greener homes, energy innovation, critical minerals, zero-emission vehicles, forestry or building out the grid. By making these strategic investments, we are supporting the capacity of Canadians to create new opportunities in the low-carbon economy. We are supporting indigenous participation in the natural resources sector and supporting indigenous leadership in a prosperous net-zero future. We're enabling a clean, reliable, secure and affordable supply of energy for everyone.

I certainly look forward to our conversation and to our questions and answers today.

With that, Mr. Chair, I'm happy to hand it back to you.

Thank you for the question.

One thing I would say off the top is that I don't think there's much disagreement between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party on the importance of Line 5 in terms of ensuring that it continues in operation and the need for us to be working collaboratively and pressuring the United States to ensure that it is doing what it needs to do. As you said, we did invoke the treaty. That was an important step. We worked very closely with the company, including up to the issuance of the statement last night.

We will continue to work very closely with the company to ensure that this critical piece of infrastructure remains open. I will tell you that I have raised it at every opportunity with Secretary Granholm who is the Secretary of Energy,. I know the Prime Minister has raised it on a number of occasions with the President.

Thank you for the questions.

Certainly critical minerals are an enormous opportunity. As you said, the Prime Minister is speaking to people in South Korea. I was just at the G7 in Japan and certainly had many conversations with my counterparts—not just in Japan, but in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and elsewhere—all of whom are very interested in Canada's critical minerals.

We do need to ensure that we are making the assessment process and the permitting processes, at both the federal and provincial levels, more efficient without cutting corners from an environmental perspective [Inaudible—Editor]—

In the budget, what we said is that we would be coming forward with a plan on that before the end of the year, but there's already enormous work going on.

With respect to producing and exporting, there actually is a mine that is just in the process of opening up, a lithium mine in Quebec that will be producing, and it will be doing so later this year.

There is actually a rare earth mine in Canada. It's in the Northwest Territories. It is processed in Saskatoon.

We have a long way to go in terms of building capacity, but we actually do produce the top six that are on the critical minerals list.

That is an excellent question. It's an important question.

I should note that, under this government in 2021, Canada exported record levels of metals and minerals, and it's now about one-fifth of our total merchandise exports.

Certainly, we are doing an enormous amount of work to ensure that we actually are making as efficient as possible Canada's regulatory and permitting processes. We have an internal process, involving a number of different departments, that is working on different ways in which we can actually make this work more efficiently. We announced over $1 billion in the fall economic statement for the Canada Energy Regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and a number of other departments to increase the capacity so that we are able to actually process the number of applications coming before us.

There was another $1.3 billion in budget 2023 for several federal departments so that they can continue to improve the efficiency of assessments for major projects. We confirmed to the board of directors of the CER in February that they are to identify key priorities as they deliver on their mandate, including working towards more efficient regulatory regimes. We're also working with provinces and territories, which each have their own regulatory and permitting processes, to align those better with the federal process. I think you will see the initial product of some of that work later this or next week when we actually provide an update on the British Columbia regional table.

We've approved, now, four mining sector projects since January: the Marathon Palladium mine, the Valentine gold project, the James Bay lithium mine project and the Lynn Lake gold project. Certainly, this is a big, big effort, and it is an important effort. However, again, it cannot be done by cutting corners from an environmental perspective or by not discharging our obligation to indigenous peoples, which is what the Harper government did and thereby really, really gummed up the process.

We have strong tools, such as the Impact Assessment Act, to restore the confidence of Canadians that environmental issues will be dealt with in a way that allows a good project to go forward.

Canada is already a safe and sustainable supplier of critical minerals. That's why we're seeing significant investment across our critical minerals supply chain, from Volkswagen, which is building a multi-generation electric vehicle battery plant, to the United States, which sees Canada as a reliable partner to strengthen North American leadership in clean technology. These companies are investing here because Canada is committed to extracting and sourcing critical minerals the right way, working with indigenous and local communities and protecting nature.

We apply rigorous environmental-society-governance standards with a strong human rights record, as well as a Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy that is consistent with Canada's ambitious nature protection goals. In fact, Canada played an important role in launching the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance, which I announced alongside representatives from Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States at COP15, the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity in Montreal.

The mines I mentioned in my previous responses all have strong environmental protections that make it clear to others that Canada is a good place to invest, and also a good place to buy.

It's a very important question. There is no energy transition without a significant scale-up in the exploration, extraction, processing, advanced manufacturing and then the recycling of critical minerals.

To this end, we have undertaken a whole range of measures in budget 2023, including the $1.5 billion critical minerals infrastructure fund to accelerate critical minerals production, $1.5 billion through the strategic innovation fund to support advanced manufacturing, processing and recycling, and of course the investment tax credit that was in the budget for clean technology manufacturing, which will be applicable to the extraction, processing or recycling of critical minerals. That is an extremely important thing that was very well received by the Mining Association of Canada and others.

It's also about putting some funding into research, development and demonstration. We announced just a month or so ago $14 million to support six projects under the critical minerals research, development and demonstration program, which will advance the commercial readiness of emerging process technologies to support the development of value chains for zero-emission vehicles.

Certainly there will be more coming. Finally, I would say the critical minerals centre of excellence will also support research for processing and battery precursors. It will help proponents engage the federal and provincial processes with respect to moving these projects forward expeditiously.

Thank you for the question.

Yes, there is a plan. A year ago, we announced our projections for the number of trees we would plant each year. In the first year, we planted almost 100% of our targeted number of trees. For the second year, we will announce the final number in the coming months. We are well on our way—

Thank you.

Yes. We continue to work on phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. We have already eliminated nine, but we will have an implementation plan to show the committee by the end of 2023.

Yes, that will come with the plan.

Yes. We are currently working on a strategy that promotes the purchase of clean products, which emphasizes the use of lower carbon footprint materials. So we'll have something to discuss with you and all other Canadians in the coming months.

Yes. We started with cement, but there are other products, of course. We're working on a plan right now that we can share with all the departments and that will also affect all the infrastructure that we invest in with the provinces and territories.

We are very proud of the Volkswagen announcement. Batteries are very important to the future of Ontario and Quebec. Of course we need to have a clean electricity system, and we're going to make sure we have one by 2035.

As you know, Mr. Angus, we released the action plan for sustainable jobs a couple of months ago. Part of that was a commitment to bring forward legislation that we are continuing to develop and that will be introduced before the end of the year. It will have architecture. The secretariat will largely be where the federal government actually ensures that its different areas of the department are aligned. There will be a partnership council, which will certainly involve significant representation from labour.

That will be the partnership council.