WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER13,2019 | THE GLOBE AND MAILO A
The Conservatives say they want
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to
study the implementation of an
east-west energy corridor in an
effort to address the national-
unity challenges facing the new
minoritygovernment.
Conservative Leader Andrew
Scheer met with Mr. Trudeau on
Tuesday morning in Ottawa to
lay out his party’s priorities for
the coming session of Parlia-
ment. The Prime Minister is
meeting with all of the opposi-
tion party leaders this week as
the Liberals try to craft an agen-
da for the government that can
get the support of either the Con-
servatives, Bloc Québécois or
NDP.
Mr. Trudeau needs to get sup-
port from another party for the
Throne Speech on Dec. 5 to avoid
being defeated in the House of
Commons and sending the coun-
try back to the polls.
The Greens did not elect
enough MPs to hold the balance
of power.
The list of priorities laid out by
the Conservatives shows some
room to work with the Liberals,
for example around income-tax
cuts, but in other areas, there’s a
significant gap between the two
parties.
Studying an east-west energy
corridor, which would bring oil
from the Prairies to the B.C. and
Atlantic coasts and hydro elec-
tricity from Quebec and Ontario
to other regions, could place Mr.
Trudeau in conflict with prov-
inces. During the election, Mr.
Trudeau said there is “no social
acceptability” for a new pipeline
through Quebec.
“We will never impose a pipe-
line on Quebec. That is Andrew
Scheer’s plan,” Mr. Trudeau said
on Oct. 10.
In a brief photo opportunity
before the private meeting, the
Prime Minister emphasized that
his priorities are addressing af-
fordability challenges and fight-
ing climate change.
The two leaders found “com-
mon ground” on issues such as
making maternity and paternity
leave tax-free, Mr. Scheer told re-
porters after the meeting.
His list of priorities closely
mirrored the key elements of the
Conservative Party’s election
platform.
In addition to the east-west
energy corridor, the Tories are al-
so calling for tax cuts, the cancel-
lation of new environmental-as-
sessment rules and funding for
Toronto subway expansions.
The Conservative Leader
wouldn’t say whether his partywill support Mr. Trudeau’s
Throne Speech. “It’s up to Mr.
Trudeau to find common ground
to get his Throne Speech passed,”
Mr. Scheer told reporters after
the meeting.
A government source, to
whom The Globe and Mail grant-
ed anonymity to discuss the pri-
vate meeting between Mr. Scheer
and Mr. Trudeau, said the Prime
Minister gave the Conservative
Leader an update on the renego-
tiated North American free-trade
agreement.
The new United States-Mexi-
co-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
was signed in principle last year
but is still making its way
through the U.S. Congress and
hasn’t been ratified in Parlia-
ment.
The source said Mr. Trudeau ishoping for support from the
Conservatives on the USMCA
and on proposed changes to the
basic income exemption that
would give all but the richest
Canadians a break in taxes.
“Last month, Canadians elect-
ed a Parliament that they expect
to work together, and that’s ex-
actly what I’m going to be focus-
ing on,” Mr. Trudeau said at the
beginning of his meeting with
Mr. Scheer.
The Conservative Leader re-
peated his call for the Liberals to
repeal Bill C-69, which changed
the environmental-assessment
rules for new projects, and Bill
C-48, which would ban oil tank-
ers from loading at ports on the
northern coast of B.C. The two
bills are leading to uncertainty
and a “lack of confidence in theenergy sector,” he said.
Absent from the Conserva-
tives’ list of demands was a call
to cancel the Liberals’ carbon tax,
which was imposed on provinces
that didn’t introduce their own
plan to reduce greenhouse-gas
emissions. The carbon tax, which
comes with a tax rebate for con-
sumers, was imposed on Ontario,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba and
New Brunswick. The measure is
scheduled to be imposed on Al-
berta in January. All five prov-
inces are taking part in legal chal-
lenges to the tax.
Mr. Trudeau’s office said on
Tuesday the Liberals will recall
the House of Commons on Dec. 5
to elect a Speaker and then pre-
sent the Throne Speech. Mr.
Scheer had been asking for the
House to be recalled on Nov. 25.Toriespushforeast-westenergycorridor
Scheersaysnew
infrastructurewould
addresschallenges
ofnationalunity
MARIEKEWALSHOTTAWA
ConservativeLeaderAndrewScheermeetswithPrimeMinisterJustinTrudeauinOttawaonTuesday.JUSTINTANG/THECANADIANPRESSNEWS |