Evidence of meeting #25 for Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was amendment.
A recording is available from Parliament.
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Laurie Hawn
You accept that, obviously. Let's go back to the speakers list, if we could.
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
2:20 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I won't need to make my comments, as long as Mr. McGuinty's are perhaps as funny as Mr. Jean's. So I'll keep it to the point.
We think the naming of the act is important. It symbolizes the work that was put into the act or the pieces that were taken out. The Clean Air and Climate Change Act, certainly in terms of the New Democrats, is what we intended to bring in to this legislation. It was the intention behind organizing with the other parties to create this legislative committee to find the best ideas, and in fact to have a Clean Air and Climate Change Act. That spirit of cooperation to find the best ideas was the intention from the beginning. We have found committee members from all sides voting for various amendments and proposing various ideas from all sides and all corners of the committee table, and it is something we will be proud to see put back to Parliament, I believe by you, Chair, tomorrow morning.
The naming of the act is fine. It's been in our platform in days past. We're flattered by the lifting of the title, and we will be supporting it.
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We support the friendly amendment, especially since it reflects word for word our own BQ-18 which we were going to move in a few minutes.
It is a type of change that truly reflects what we expect from this Bill C-30. There are two fundamental issues, air quality and climate change. We have done a tremendous job. I believe that with this title that we are going to give to the bill, we will rise above partisan considerations in order to send a strong message to Quebeckers and Canadians.
We, in the opposition, have decided to work constructively in order to improve the bill that was put before us to deal with these two issues: air quality and climate change. Therefore, we will support amendment L-1 as amended.
2:25 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We would have been happy to support that amendment if Bill C-30 had been left as it was introduced by the government. But in fact now it doesn't do what is being proposed. It's also surprising that the Bloc and NDP members would be supporting a Liberal motion that presented Canada with 35% off target and is now presenting billions of dollars of proposed new taxes to Canada and industry. How could any Canadian support that?
Thank you.
2:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Laurie Hawn
We are to the question on L-1, which would now read that Bill C-30, in clause 1, be amended by replacing lines 4 and 5 on page 1 with the following: “This Act may be cited as Canada's Clean Air and Climate Change Act.”
(Amendment agreed to)
2:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Laurie Hawn
Now BQ-18, Monsieur Bigras, I gather, is not going to be moved. C'est correct? Oui.
(Clause 1 as amended agreed to)
Moving on to the long title, which is everything just under “Bill C-30”, shall the title carry?
2:25 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
2:25 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
2:25 p.m.
Conservative
2:25 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
2:25 p.m.
Conservative
2:25 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
2:25 p.m.
Conservative
2:25 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
I am going to be brief, as I always am, Mr. Chair.
I do want to just say this. During the last hour, I noticed four particular errors in the legislation and I pointed those out against the wishes of other opposition committee members saying I was delaying. But I found four errors. Do you know what? For the next 20 minutes I listened to you pass more motions and I found at least six more errors. This piece of legislation is flawed, not only from a constitutional perspective, but also in the parts within it that refer to other parts. It is not a good bill in substance, nor is it a good bill as far as the act is concerned. I would invite Canadians to read it. I would invite the press to read it and to point out the errors and omissions within this, because this is about politics, not cleaning up for Canadians.
We have invested as a government so far, in the short period of time that we have been the government, $3.5 billion directly into the environment; $1.3 billion into transit.
Mr. Chair, I'm going to be very brief, but I think I have this opportunity and I'd like to take it.
I know it's not fair to point out that after seven years during which they did nothing the Liberals are now trying to force something on somebody else that their leader has said cannot be done. Mr. Chair, this is ridiculous, and they're trying to play politics with Canadians. Clean air is what we want to find for Canadians and reducing greenhouse gases is what we want to find for Canadians. This bill will not do it.
2:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Laurie Hawn
Mr. Cullen, Mr. Warawa, Mr. McGuinty, and Mr. Bigras.
Mr. Cullen.
2:30 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Very briefly, in conjunction with the spirit of my remarks earlier, we have seen amendments come forward from all parties. We have seen ideas and concepts that we have not seen in Canadian politics and in Canadian law before brought forward by all parties. It was the spirit and intention of the creation of this committee to allow the best ideas to come forward and those best ideas to win. It is said that the nature of a good negotiation is if every party at the negotiation gives something up. That is what's happened here. No one has received everything they wanted; everyone has had to make concessions.
I think in the spirit of a minority Parliament, and in the spirit of this particular issue of the environment, one that we have not, as a nation, dealt with properly to this point, we have achieved a great deal together.
I look forward to working with committee members in the future.
2:30 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
I'll make a quick comment.
I'd like to thank each member of the committee. We each had unique and diverse perspectives, but I truly believe, putting the politics aside, that each of us has a passion for a cleaner environment. We didn't come to consensus, but I look forward to continuing to work with the members of this committee so that we can provide what Canadians want, and that's a cleaner Canada and a cleaner planet.
Thank you.
2:30 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Picking up on both of those, I'd like to thank you, Chair, for your very well-done job. It was a very difficult job, more than traffic-copping, and you've acquitted yourself with great dignity.
I'd like to thank all of the staff, the clerk, the legal researchers, the drafters, the researchers. I'd like to thank all the support staff who have been with us on this journey since the beginning. It has made it a much more pleasant and a much more productive exercise.
All my colleagues, thank you very much for being as gracious as you've been. To the government MPs, in a very difficult situation, thank you for your grace and your civility.
Thank you.