David Coon, MLA/Député

Here is the video and transcript of oral questions, recorded in the language in which it was spoken.

Mr. Coon: We are fast approaching the First Ministers’ conference, which is taking place on December 9 and to which Prime Minister Trudeau has invited each of the Premiers from across the country to negotiate and finalize a pan-Canadian climate strategy. This will be a game changer for all Canadians and all New Brunswickers. This represents a real opportunity for New Brunswick to leverage federal support in our transition to a low-carbon economy, which will create transformational growth for our small towns and rural communities. Can the Premier tell this House whether he will attend the First Ministers’ conference?

(Interjections.)

Mr. Speaker: I am sorry. We do not do points of order during question period.

L’hon. M. Rousselle : Sans aucun doute, le député est très intéressé par la question des
changements climatiques, tout comme nous d’ailleurs, en tant que gouvernement. J’ai eu l’occasion de répondre à cette question la semaine dernière et de dire à quel point les changements climatiques étaient l’un des plus grands défis de notre siècle. Toutefois, j’ai un peu de difficulté à comprendre certaines choses. Vous savez, nous avons reçu 85 recommandations du Comité spécial sur les changements climatiques, et nous sommes en train de les étudier. Nous savons très bien que, oui, il y aura une rencontre de tous les premiers ministres au début de décembre et dans le but de faire progresser cette lutte contre les changements climatiques. Nous travaillons présentement à améliorer et à renforcer le plan sur les changements climatiques. Donc, le travail est en train de se faire, et, si jamais le député d’en face est inquiet par rapport à cette question, je peux lui confirmer que nous travaillons très, très fort, et que, oui, nous aurons un plan renforcé et que ce dernier…

Mr. Speaker: Time, minister.

Mr. Coon: My question was very simple. It was directed to the Premier, and it was a question about whether or not the Premier plans to attend this First Ministers’ conference that Prime Minister Trudeau will be hosting on December 9 to discuss and finalize the pan-Canadian climate change strategy. Will the Premier attend the First Ministers’ conference?

Hon. Mr. Gallant: Yes. I appreciate the question. If there are other questions about my
schedule, I would be very happy to answer the member opposite. Again, I will repeat what my colleague just said. I think that it is important to note. We care very much about playing our role to combat climate change. Prime Minister Trudeau has made it very clear that, as a country, we all need to step up, and that includes the provinces and all individuals. We all have to work together to make sure that we have the best plan possible to combat climate change, all the while ensuring that we are going to grow the economy.
Transitioning to a low-carbon economy is a priority for the country, and it is something that we are going to step up to do. I look forward to the meetings that the member opposite referred to. We are going to have good discussions, I am sure. We have, as my colleague mentioned, 80 or so recommendations that have been brought forward by a nonpartisan committee of the Legislature. We look forward to going through all of them in detail and continuously discussing how we are going to advance our plan to combat climate change. We are going to make sure that we do it right and that we take the necessary time to have the best plan possible for New Brunswick’s economy and for climate change.

Mr. Coon: The transition to a low-carbon economy, in fact, presents endless opportunities for
transformational growth in our small towns and rural communities. This First Ministers’ conference is the perfect opportunity for our Premier to pitch New Brunswick as the living lab for transitioning to this new economy. Will the Premier commit to reporting the outcome of the First Ministers’ conference back to this House following the December 9 meeting?

L’hon. M. Gallant : Bien sûr, je mettrai les gens de la province au courant de ce qui ce sera passé lors de la réunion à venir avec le premier ministre Trudeau et mes collègues premiers ministres provinciaux. Nous le ferons la journée même par l’entremise des médias; je n’en doute pas. Bien entendu, par la suite, lorsque je serai de nouveau à la Chambre, j’espère que me seront posées des questions au sujet de cette rencontre. Cela me fera alors plaisir d’y répondre et de m’assurer que tous les gens de la province sont au courant de ce qui se passe en ce qui a trait à ce sujet important qu’est la lutte contre les changements climatiques. What is important is that we work with all New Brunswickers to ensure that we have the best plan possible to transition to a low-carbon economy, meaning that we have to step up to combat climate change, but, all the while, we have to ensure that there is economic growth in New Brunswick. I can tell you that we are very pleased of what job creators and New Brunswickers have done in 2015 with the record economic growth that we saw in New Brunswick.