Gary Lunn

[The Environment, May 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, that is all nonsense. However, let me tell the member one plan we do not have. We do not have a plan to raise the price of gasoline to $2.25 a litre. Under Bill C-288, the Liberal plan would drive the price of gasoline north.

We now have heard from the leader of the Liberal Party who wants to run across the country during the summer and sell his carbon tax plan. This is ill-fated. It is wrong. It is the wrong approach to start introducing these carbon taxes.

That is not something this government will do and that is something of which the member should maybe take note.

[Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, May 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, as I previously stated, this project was plagued from its very inception, with hundreds of millions of dollars being spent and technological problems.

More important, this will allow AECL to focus on what it does very well, and that is build power reactors. It has built projects around the world, on time and under budget.

I want to reassure the House that the MAPLE project will have no impact at all on the production of isotopes. It has never produced an isotope, ever.

[Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, May 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, this is a good business decision. This is the right decision for the Canadian taxpayer. It is the right decision for AECL. It is the right decision for the medical community.

We all know, under the leadership of the former Liberal government, the Liberals spent hundreds of millions of dollars on this project. It is eight years behind schedule. It has been plagued with problems from its inception.

The Auditor General said, “I would certainly hope that somebody is going to take a good look at this particular project, assess very closely what is the likelihood of success”. That is exactly what we have done. We are providing the leadership. It is high time that somebody did.

[Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, May 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, our government has accepted the decision of AECL to terminate the MAPLE project to allow it to focus on its core business responsibilities.

I am surprised the Liberals are getting on their feet and asking this question. The project began 12 years ago under their leadership. They were warned that it was a high-risk project. It has been plagued since its inception with problems. It has cost hundreds of millions of dollars and has technological challenges. The MAPLE project has never produced one isotope.

This will not impact isotope production in Canada, period.

One thing we do know is this government is taking leadership and acting, something the Liberal government could not do the entire time it was in office.

[Forestry Industry, May 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe the nerve of the NDP members who stand up and raise the pine beetle issue in the House.

When the infestation broke out, it was an NDP government in British Columbia that refused to act. It refused to control this. In fact, there are members of the NDP caucus who were sitting at the cabinet table. Everyone knows that this broke out in the mid-1990s when there was an NDP government that refused to deal with it because it was in a provincial park.

Our government has taken responsible action. We committed a billion dollars over 10 years. We are delivering. We are making a difference. The NDP members should be ashamed of themselves for not acting when they had a chance.

[Forestry Industry, May 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely wrong. It is our government that has ended the tax subsidy for the oil sands projects in future. We are phasing that out.

In fact, we are providing billions of dollars to help those affected workers. Our Prime Minister announced a billion dollars in the community development trust, which was handed over to the provinces to deliver help to these communities directly. We are working with the industry on innovation, new market opportunities and opportunities for technology. The industry is very pleased with our efforts.

[Arctic Sovereignty, May 14th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago today a Conservative prime minister created the polar continental shelf project to expand Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic. This has helped thousands of scientists throughout the Arctic advance science and knowledge in the north. Today the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and myself have marked this anniversary with major commitments that will bring new research and information about our Arctic.

We are investing $20 million in providing the scientific basis to demonstrate Canada's rights in the Arctic. As well, my colleague announced $5.2 million for projects to increase awareness of the Arctic research for Canadians.

We are committed to the Arctic, and we are getting the job done.

[Gasoline Prices, May 13th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, one thing we do know for sure is the leader of the Liberal Party wants to impose a carbon tax on the price of gasoline and drive the price of gasoline north of $2.25 and higher. That is going to hurt working class Canadians. That is going to hurt hard-working people who are trying to get to work.

That is not our policy. We would not stand for that.

[Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act, May 6th, 2008]

moved that the bill be concurred in.

[Public Transit, May 5th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we understand the burden that the high price of gas is putting on families and that is why we have taken action. We have reduced the GST. We are actually giving some of the gas tax funding back to those municipalities.

However, the reality is that the price of gasoline is set by international market forces, something over which we have no control.

However, we are committed to reducing taxes, unlike the Liberals, who will not only raise the GST and raise taxes, but have uncontrolled government spending plans. In fact, for every percentage cut in the GST, they have umpteen plans that will put us back--