Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, Minister. Thank you for being here this morning.
Minister, you're here today to address Parliament's questions about Environment Canada spending and your so-called “Turning the Corner” plan.
The parliamentary secretary has kindly assured us that you will take questions on all related matters, so thank you for that.
Minister, as you know, numbers released by your own department earlier this week confirm that this country turned the corner under the leadership of Stéphane Dion, not only stabilizing industrial greenhouse gas emissions but reducing overall emissions year over year from 2004 to 2005. Liberal leadership put this country back on track to have a national carbon budget in 2006. You will have received a copy of this document, which, as you know, was subsequently migrated into Bill C-30. The legislative committee has worked hundreds of hours, if not in fact thousands of hours, which your government has conveniently suppressed and censored. The bill has yet to see daylight.
Obviously, your government chose not to take on the responsibility of capping our carbon emissions. The subject of climate change, Minister, has never been more important, and Canadians have very high expectations. To be frank, Minister, your government's performance on this file has been, objectively, terribly disappointing. Internationally, last year our climate change negotiators were instructed to block the second round of Kyoto, acting as saboteurs within the process that we were chairing, as president, internationally.
Likewise, yesterday in the House the Prime Minister refused to take a proactive stand on Germany's strong post-Kyoto plan. Domestically, Parliament was handed a clean air act, as I said a moment ago, in need of serious repairs. When you were brought in, the all-party Bill C-30 committee made those repairs, but this plan has died, as I said, in the hands of your government.
Funding was cut, left, right, and centre, on climate change initiatives, from home retrofitting to wind power.
Let's get started, if I could, Minister, and I would really appreciate it if we could all follow the chair's advice on short questions and short answers.
My first question to you speaks directly to the main estimates, Minister. Can you tell us how much federal money will flow this fiscal year for climate change programming? That is for 2007-08.