Colin Carrie

[The Environment, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to tell the House today that our government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing clean air for Canadians for today and future generations. I am pleased to let the House know that the minister today announced three new regulatory initiatives on cars and fuels, which align with the United States. Those include establishing more stringent greenhouse emission standards for Canadian vehicles, 2017 and beyond. We also announced our intent to further regulate emissions for post-2018 model-year heavy-duty vehicles and engines. It takes a Conservative government to reduce—

[The Environment, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government record is clear. The economy is growing, and for the first time in Canadian history, greenhouse gas emissions are falling.

The Conservatives will continue to protect the environment while keeping our economy strong. We are accomplishing this without a carbon tax, which would kill jobs and raise prices.

[The Environment, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to contrast our approach to the Liberal approach.

I will talk about the Liberal approach first, because it is not going to take very long. What the Liberals did was they signed onto Kyoto without a plan to do anything. The only thing they were successful at was naming their former leader's dog Kyoto.

Our government record is clear. The economy is growing, and for the first time in Canadian history, greenhouse gas emissions are falling. Conservatives will continue to protect the environment while keeping our economy strong. We are accomplishing this without a job-killing carbon tax, which would raise the price of home heating oil—

[The Environment, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as we speak, the Minister of the Environment is in New York City this week representing Canada on a number of climate change matters.

Canada has and is taking significant efforts to curb climate change through a number of avenues, both domestic and international. Through our investments in clean energy and our sector-by-sector regulatory approach, we have seen our economy grow while emissions have gone down. This is historic.

This is unlike the Liberal government that increased greenhouse gas emissions by 130 megatonnes, and we are going to do it without an NDP carbon tax.

[The Environment, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government is a world leader when it comes to addressing climate change, but more than that, we are continuing to work with the provinces on reducing emissions from the oil and gas sector. It is premature to comment further on any future regulations.

Thanks to our actions, we have seen a significant reduction in greenhouse gases. Unlike the NDP, which thinks it can tax its way out of every problem, we are getting results without imposing a carbon tax.

[The Environment, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, when the Leader of the Opposition was a Liberal cabinet minister of the environment, did he actually have a smog day named after him?

Let us talk about some facts. Canada represents less than 2% of global emissions. To provide some perspective, the U.S. coal sector produces two times more emissions than the entire Canadian economy.

Our sector-by-sector regulatory approach allows us to protect both the environment and our economy. Canada has strengthened its position as a world leader in clean electricity generation by becoming the first major coal user to ban construction of traditional coal-fired electrical generation units--

[The Environment, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government is making progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while keeping the economy strong. We have taken action on some of Canada's largest sources of emissions, such as the transportation sector and the coal-fired electricity sector. Canada's stringent regulations are expected to cut emissions in the electricity sector by 46% by 2013 compared to levels in 2005.

Thanks to these actions, carbon emissions will go down close to 130 megatonnes from what they would have been under the Liberals. We have done it without a $21-billion carbon tax.

[The Environment, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken decisive action. Our priority, as opposed to the NDP's, is to protect the environment while keeping the economy strong. We are taking a sector-by-sector regulatory approach to reducing gas emissions that is working.

In fact, about an hour ago, the Minister of the Environment announced at the UN climate summit in New York that our government is moving ahead with three new regulatory initiatives that will lower air pollution emissions from cars and trucks. This will help us further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide cleaner air for Canadians.

Thanks to our actions, we have seen significant reductions in greenhouses gases, without imposing a job-killing NDP carbon tax.

[The Environment, September 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we are currently involved in discussions with the provinces, industry representatives and others about potential greenhouse gas emissions reductions for the oil and gas sector. The regulations are not yet final, so it would be premature to discuss them further.

Thanks in part to our actions, Canada's 2020 greenhouse gas emissions are projected to be about 130 megatonnes lower relative to a scenario with no action.

I want to address the member's comment about per capita emissions.

Despite our growing economy, Canada's per capita greenhouse gas emissions are now the lowest they have been since we started collecting data in 1990.

[The Environment, September 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Drummond for his question and welcome him back to the House. I am looking forward to working with him on the environment committee.

Our government's priority is to protect the environment while keeping the economy strong. We have one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world. Canada accounts for less than 2% of global greenhouse gases, and for this reason, Canada is pursuing an international agreement on climate change that includes real action by all emitters.

At present, our government is doing its part nationally by taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In Canada, we have already taken action with respect to two of the major greenhouse gas emitters in the country: the transportation and electricity sectors.

The federal government is focused on an approach to greenhouse gas regulations that will reduce emissions while continuing to create jobs and encouraging the growth of the Canadian economy.

In view of the fact that Canadian and U.S. industries are integrated, it is important to work with the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in key sectors. That is what we are currently doing by aligning our greenhouse gas emissions regulations with those of the United States in the transportation sector.

The U.S. has proposed a draft regulation that is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions from the power sector by approximately 30% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.

In Canada, strict regulations are already in place for coal-fired power plants, and these will cut emissions in the electricity sector by 46% over the same period.

We will continue to build on our record and work with the United States to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions internationally.