House of Commons Hansard #121 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was parks.

Topics

Service Canada Mandate Expansion ActPrivate Members' Business

6:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Barry Devolin

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

Service Canada Mandate Expansion ActPrivate Members' Business

6:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Yea.

Service Canada Mandate Expansion ActPrivate Members' Business

6:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Barry Devolin

All those opposed will please say nay.

Service Canada Mandate Expansion ActPrivate Members' Business

6:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Nay.

Service Canada Mandate Expansion ActPrivate Members' Business

6:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Barry Devolin

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Pursuant to Standing Order 93, the recorded division stands deferred until Wednesday, October 8, immediately before the time provided for private members' business.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

The EnvironmentAdjournment Proceedings

6:15 p.m.

Liberal

Ted Hsu Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have a duty to be a good father and to protect my daughters. That is why I have to care about climate change. I must say that I condemn the Conservative government for its intentional negligence on climate change.

My question in question period was about the urgency with which the current government treats climate change. We know that the oil and gas sector in Canada accounts for about one-quarter of the emissions of greenhouse gases in Canada. It is the fastest-growing sector of our greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, and the Conservatives have promised some sort of regulation on that sector since 2008, six years ago. However, at this time our minister still refuses to give a timeline for the regulation of the oil and gas sector, and we learned a couple of weeks ago from science reporter Mike De Souza that Environment Canada appears to have even stopped meeting with oil and gas companies.

The Conservatives like to talk about Canada shutting down coal plants and achieving progress in reducing emissions from the electrical power generation sector. Today we heard a piece of good news, that the Boundary Dam coal-fired power plant in Canada is now going to be built in about a year, and that this carbon capture facility will be operational and will attempt to sequester about 90% of the greenhouse gas emissions coming out of one of the units of the Boundary Dam generation facility. I do sincerely hope that this attempt turns out to be the breakthrough in feasibility for carbon capture and sequestration. It is a very difficult technology, and the past projects have been abandoned because the feasibility could not be demonstrated. It was too expensive. However, we have to keep trying and I do sincerely hope that this Canadian project will succeed in feasibility. If anybody can do it, I know that Canada can do it.

However, the big decrease in the amount of emissions from coal plants cannot be accredited to the current government. It is the government of the Province of Ontario that deserves that credit. Earlier this year, the very last kilowatt hour of electricity generated from coal was put out, and now Ontario electricity is free from coal; free from the greenhouse gas emissions of coal-fired generation, free from the mercury emissions and all the other emissions that come from burning coal and the impurities that we find in coal. It is the first North American jurisdiction to phase out coal-fired power.

The current government, in the transportation sector, pretty much has followed the lead of California. It has taken credit in the electrical power generation sector for the hard work that the Ontario government has done, and in the oil and gas sector it has simply delayed. There is no leadership from the current government. There is no urgency. The current government is not protecting our children.

The EnvironmentAdjournment Proceedings

6:20 p.m.

Oshawa Ontario

Conservative

Colin Carrie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, our government's record is clear. We have taken decisive action on the environment, while protecting our environment. Everyone internationally has to do their fair share, and Canada is doing its part, as we emit only 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Our government is implementing a sector-by-sector regulatory approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which protects the environment and supports economic prosperity. We have already taken action on some of Canada's largest sources of emissions, such as the transportation sector and the coal-fired electricity sector. As a result of this action, Canada became the first major coal user to ban the construction of traditional coal-fired electricity generation units.

Canada already has one of the cleanest systems in the world, with more than three-quarters of electricity in Canada being generated from non-greenhouse gas emitting sources, such as hydro, nuclear, and renewables. Canada's stringent regulations are expected to cut emissions in the electricity sector by 46% by 2030, compared to levels in 2005.

Last week, we announced that our government is proceeding with three initiatives to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. This will help us further reduce greenhouse gases and ensure cleaner air for Canadians.

Thanks to these regulations, passenger vehicles and light trucks built in 2025 will produce about half the emissions of 2008 models, and greenhouse gas emissions from heavy trucks built in 2018 will be up to 23% lower.

At the climate summit in New York, we also announced that Canada is planning to regulate hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases, and if they are not regulated, they will increase dramatically over the next 10 to 15 years.

Canada will harmonize its regulations with those recently proposed by the United States and will take preventive measures to reduce and restrict toxic HFC emissions before they get any higher.

Our government is working to ensure that we achieve results for Canadians and the environment.

The EnvironmentAdjournment Proceedings

October 2nd, 2014 / 6:20 p.m.

Liberal

Ted Hsu Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, I just want to address one of the points that my hon. colleague made, which is a common argument that one hears: that Canada's emissions are only 2% of the world's emissions, so it is not that critical that Canada deal with its emissions.

On this anniversary of the beginning of the First World War, Canadians should be reminded that Canada only contributed about 2% of the combatants to the allied effort in the First World War, and that was not insignificant.

This summer, I gave a medallion to a Canadian D-Day veteran. We cannot tell that veteran that because he was only one person landing on the beach on D-Day that his effort was insignificant.

It is shameful when the government uses that argument, when it says that Canada's emissions are only 2% of the world's emissions. If Canada wants to be a leader—and I believe that Canada has a duty to be a leader in this world—we cannot make that argument.

The government has no sense of the importance of climate change, and it deserves to be kicked out of office next year.

The EnvironmentAdjournment Proceedings

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON

Mr. Speaker, what is shameful is the Liberal record on the environment. Canadians need to be reminded.

Let us look at the Liberal record. The Liberals signed on to the Kyoto deal with no plan to reduce greenhouse gases. As a matter of fact, they did worse than nothing. Greenhouse gases went up 130 megatonnes under their watch. As a matter of fact, their approach to decreasing greenhouse gases was, I think, as their leader said, that it just happens by itself. It is like budgets balancing themselves, I guess.

Our sector-by-sector regulatory approach is working. It is getting results. As a result of collective actions by governments, consumers, and businesses, Canada's 2020 greenhouse gas emissions are projected to be 128 megatonnes lower, relative to the scenario that would have been under the Liberals with no action in 2005.

We recognize that more work is required, and upcoming federal policies, along with further provincial measures, will contribute additional emissions reductions.

The EnvironmentAdjournment Proceedings

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Barry Devolin

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:26 p.m.)