Mark Gerretsen

Faster fossil phase-down

The other end of this axis: Slower phase-down, production first

Supports Paris Agreement and carbon pricing as central to curbing emissions.

A central pillar of the plan is a price on pollution, which is widely recognized as one of the most efficient ways to curb greenhouse gas emissions. It also encourages people and businesses to save money and make cleaner choices, such as better insulating their homes and upgrading to more efficient equipment.

Restrict new oil and gas

The other end of this axis: Expand production and export

Criticizes focus on oil exports and highlights shift to renewables.

As we can see and as we have heard numerous times in the House, the previous government put all its eggs in one basket. It put them all in oil and gas and yet was not able to deliver a single pipeline to tidewater. Could the minister expand on the fact that the economy and the environment must go hand in hand and must be looked at together to be genuinely successful and fruitful in our economy within the country?

Ottawa leads

The other end of this axis: Provinces lead

Defends federal EI system for maternity benefits across provinces.

A similar explanation for how employment insurance benefits are used for the purpose of protecting the mother and unborn child were put forward in this House on October 17, 2005, by the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Labour and Housing at the time, “women under federal jurisdiction, if they must take leave, have access to employment insurance”.

Expand public coverage

The other end of this axis: More private delivery

Supports expanding EI for maternity and pharmacare.

I would like to talk about three things in particular that resonated with me in the throne speech, one being the desire to improve the security and strengthen the economic position of so many Canadians. I also want to talk a bit about the government's commitment to health care, and pharmacare in particular. Of course, I also want to address a topic that I have spoken about many times in this House: climate change.

Public supply and demand controls

The other end of this axis: Market supply and deregulation

Advocates public investment in affordable and social housing.

We had the opportunity in my riding, and in my city in particular, to look at how that housing was going to be developed, the various strategies for building affordable housing, whether it was building social housing, investing in co-ops or looking at residential complexes that would have a certain portion of affordable housing and would reduce the rent on those units.

Higher permanent intake

The other end of this axis: Lower intake

Supports bringing refugees and asylum seekers to Canada.

In my riding of Kingston and the Islands, over 200 refugees from Syria have relocated to Kingston and have made it their home. It is the diversity in Canada that we value so much, because we realize that our diversity actually makes us stronger.

Stronger unions and standards

The other end of this axis: More flexibility for employers

Pushes for EI changes to protect pregnant workers in hazardous jobs.

The first part would provide for the development of a national maternity assistance program, and the second part would amend section 22 of the Employment Insurance Act to expand the window of time in which existing maternity benefits could be taken if a woman worked in a hazardous job that posed a risk to her maternal health. Specifically, it would allow women to begin taking their 15 weeks of maternity benefits 15 weeks prior to the due date, rather than just eight weeks prior, as the current rules allow.

Diversify away from one partner

The other end of this axis: Deeper continental integration

Criticizes failure to diversify oil exports beyond the US.

However, when we talk about oil specifically, when Stephen Harper came to power in 2006, 99% of our oil was exported to the United States. When he left in 2015, 99% of our oil was still exported to the United States. There was no attempt, or at least no successful attempt, to diversify that marketplace and to get our oil anywhere other than where it was already going, the United States.