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The government brags about conducting comprehensive consultations before it tabled this bill last year. Clearly, it failed miserably considering the amount of criticism this bill has been generating ever since. The prime minister should be thanking Senators for stepping up to the plate in trying to get this right.

Two weeks ago, our committee travelled to Western Canada and held over 30 hours of public hearings in Vancouver, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, and heard from over 100 witnesses. Similar to our meetings in Ottawa, the testimony we are hearing is seriously troubling. Behind the Liberal talking points and catchy media sound bites are angry Canadians worried about the state of our country and the impact of this bill.

So far, we are hearing some of the same discontent from Eastern Canadians this week. Indeed, our committee is currently in Eastern Canada meeting with industry representatives, academics, environmentalists and various stakeholders to hear their thoughts on the bill.

While some have coined C-69 as the “no more pipelines bill,” this bill is about much more than pipelines and the oil and gas industry. Don’t be fooled: this bill will affect our economy as a whole and touches on nearly all facets of major infrastructure projects and resource development in Canada, which is why Canadians from all regions should keep a watchful eye on our committee’s work.

If Canada can’t get major projects off the ground — whether it’s pipelines, high-frequency trains, bridges, renewable electricity, transmission lines or marine terminals — we risk serious harm to our economy. Naturally, this implies less good-paying, family-supporting jobs for everyday Canadians, and less revenue from royalties and taxes to fund our country’s many social, health and education programs.