Environment Committee on May 17th, 2007

[Benoit Robidoux]

The government did some studies, and some were done outside the government. Recently, in fact, a study was undertaken on the Kyoto Protocol objectives. However, all of these were based on the premise that we had 10 years to meet the targets. Even more recent studies were based on the understanding that we had about 10 years. So the impact began a few years ago.

As far as I know, the Environment Canada study of Bill C-288 is the first one to suggest that we should move quickly, in other words, within the next year and over the coming four years. That is the first time that it has been suggested in a study.

There is a huge difference between meeting the same targets quickly and providing more time for business to adapt, to renew its investment, replace the inputs, etc. That requires time, and it can't be done quickly, within a year, without incurring very high costs.

[Luc Harvey, Conservative, Louis-Hébert, QC]

I have a final question for Ms. Fletcher. We have discussed air quality and the direct impact on health. Would the purchase of foreign carbon credits improve the quality of life of Canadians?

[Susan Fletcher]

That's a really difficult one. From the point of view of improving the global atmosphere—and we've talked about climate change being a global phenomenon and Canadians' health being impacted by the global phenomena—even though we can't put an economic evaluation on it yet because we don't have the modelling, anything we do to improve the climate globally will eventually have an impact.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Thank you very much, Mr. Harvey.

I'd like to thank our witnesses again for a job well done, and I thank all the members.

I want to remind members that on our first Tuesday back we have the minister. A notice will be coming from the clerk. I will be discussing with a member of each party what we're going to do to progress at the meeting on Thursday, the 31st. I believe we tentatively set Bill C-377—I believe that's the number, but whatever the number is, Mr. Cullen, we will discuss it.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

The number is correct.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

We will discuss it, and if need be, we will get together, so that we can give the clerk some direction as to where we're going to go for that last Thursday.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the witnesses for coming.

I'm just wondering, in the last moment before we leave.... I think most members would agree that we probably had more questions asked than answers provided in the last couple of meetings, which were good, productive meetings, and I think we've scratched the surface. I think it would be very beneficial for all of us to hear from the outside economists who were, for example, called to deal with the famous Bill C-288 that we've put aside, to have them come and help us understand and put in context the numbers—especially given that we've heard from Finance Canada that they completely warrant all the numbers put forward by the government, and so does Health, and so does Environment, and so does NRCan, apparently. I think it would be very beneficial for Canadians to hear from those five economists, for example, and have them appear before us.

I wonder whether, before the break week, we can ask the clerk to approach those five economists and find some time in the very near future, after we return, for a meeting or two, an opportunity to follow up on the analysis and ask them for their good guidance and their good observations.

We're in the hands of expert economists and expert modellers such as Mr. Blagden and others. It would be very helpful to get a perspective now.... The government used the five outside experts for one plan, and we think it would be very useful to apply it to its own plan. We're wondering why it hasn't happened on Bill C-30, but that's another issue.

So I would put to the committee, Mr. Chair, and to you that it would be very useful, very beneficial for Canadians to see what outside experts are saying. I'm wondering whether we can ask the clerk to do that now.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Mr. McGuinty, because our time is up, I will discuss that with each party in the steering committee. You know what our schedule is, with the cancellation of the one meeting. Then, of course, we have the three weeks in June that we can discuss. So I will do that.

I'm going to adjourn the meeting at this point, and I will discuss this with you.