Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Subclause 5(1) calls for the minister to prepare a climate change plan until 2013 that describes the measures Canada's taken to meet the Kyoto Protocol. In her September report and in testimony before this committee on October 3, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development said that it has become more and more obvious that Canada cannot meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments to reduce greenhouse gases; in fact, instead of decreasing, greenhouse gas emissions in Canada have increased by 27% since 1990. And she urged the government to come up with a credible, realistic, and clear plan with short- and long-term goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As my colleague Mark Warawa said earlier, we have done just that. Canada's new government has a plan. Our plan will achieve concrete results through mandatory enforceable regulation with short-term, medium-term, and long-term targets. The short-term targets for 2010 to 2015 will be announced in the spring of 2007. Regulations establishing mandatory standards will replace the voluntary approaches that failed in the past, and we will ensure that regulations are enforced and their objectives achieved.
Mr. Chair, we need to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That's why our government wants to adopt a target-setting approach for greenhouse gas emissions based on emissions intensity improvements, a plan that will yield a better outcome for the Canadian environment than under the plan previously proposed on July 16, 2005. Under the notice of intent, the government stated that in the mid-term 2020 to 2025 targets, there will be absolute reductions that will support the establishment of a fixed cap on emissions.
That's why, Mr. Chair, I'll be voting against clause 5.