Evidence of meeting #33 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was market.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
How long for a carbon sequestration project?
President, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
With respect to captured storage, when you look at the Saskatchewan project, which includes EnCana and Weyburn, from initial thought to getting CO2 in the ground, it was probably five years.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Thank you, Mr. Vellacott.
Mr. Cullen, please be very succinct. Our time is just about up.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I have a question for Mr. Guilbeault.
During the Nairobi conference, the French talked about the possible imposition of some sort of carbon tax. Is this mere speculation? Is it serious? Are there other European partners who have contemplated something similar? This would a tax--and I think they named Canada specifically--imposed on all imported products regardless of whether carbon was involved. How serious is this?
Campaigner, Climate and Energy, Greenpeace Canada
It was Prime Minister Raffarin who made a public statement at the time of the Nairobi conference, saying that one of the things the French government was looking at was imposing a tax on annex 1 countries who either didn't take on Kyoto commitments, which would be Australia and the U.S., or countries like Canada who have Kyoto commitments but have turned their backs on it. It was the first time I heard about it. Some colleagues in France had been hearing about it for a little while. Where this will go in terms of the European Union and member states we don't know yet, to be quite honest with you.
President, Greenhouse Emissions Management Consortium
This is very serious and it is not new. The Japanese DEIP passed into law the regulation that authorizes their customs and excise to tax all products imported from a country that has either failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol or failed to keep its Kyoto commitments. Under world trade laws, those sanctions are permitted. In fact, it was the ability to first of all score an excess quota supply and then sanction exports from countries that have short quota supplies. It was that strategic goal that the EU and Japan and initially the United States were always going for in the creation of the Kyoto Protocol, which is one of the reasons we have to move on. It's an unfair, very protectionist trade treaty, very well architected. The principal architect was the deputy treasurer of the United States. It effects a transfer of wealth from energy and food exporting nations to energy and food importing nations, by definition, as it was designed to do.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Thank you, Mr. Cullen.
I'd like to thank our witnesses very much. I thank those on the screen, and all of you, for attending.
I would remind members as well that we need to get any amendments in as soon as possible. You need to release them to the clerk so we can distribute them to all members in order for us to have them prior to clause-by-clause examination on Thursday. Thank you.
This meeting is adjourned.