Evidence of meeting #25 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 41st Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was year.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
As you know, the introduction of SARA in 2003 created an initial backlog of 233 species. An additional 112 were added to that list in 2005. To deal with the backlog, budget 2012 allocated $50 million over two years to move forward.
Thanks to the hard work of many individuals and the investments we've made, the recovery strategies and management plans are posted now online with the registry, and 70% have had their documents posted in the last four years. Environment Canada continues to develop the plans to address the current backlog. The current number now—
Bob Hamilton Deputy Minister, Department of the Environment
I can't tell you the exact number, but it's around 180.
Deputy Minister, Department of the Environment
I can get back to you with the specifics.
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
That would be great.
Could you also table by how much they're all overdue, whether it's a year or three years?
Deputy Minister, Department of the Environment
I can also say, as the minister indicated, that in the last three or four years we've really ramped up in the number we've put up. Our plan over the next three years is to make a very intensive effort to get them out, because we understand we're overdue.
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Thanks very much. I look forward to that.
I wonder, Madam Minister, if your department has done any cost analyses to determine whether it's cheaper to pay out to groups who are forced to take you to court, than it is to actually fund the species at risk. It seems as if there are a lot of court fees being paid here. Have you done any costing of this?
Deputy Minister, Department of the Environment
No, we have not done that cost assessment. I think that for the moment we are just trying to make sure we undertake our statutory responsibilities. Our goal is to try to get the recovery strategies out. We're cognizant of the fact that there's an increasing court pressure. But our focus is not so much to pay anybody out as it is to get the job done.
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
That's good to hear.
Madam Minister, I ask if you would commit to adequately funding the program and clearing the backlog.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We are committed to dealing with the backlog of course. This is important to us, to get through the backlog. When the initial legislation was introduced, that created a backlog. We're trying to get through that in order to protect the species at risk. Through this process, I can tell you that we are working hard to get through some of these backlogs.
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Great. Thanks.
My next question is on the oil and gas regulations—you had to know I'd ask. When will the oil and gas regulations be announced?
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
We're continuing to work with Alberta to develop the oil and gas regulations. When we complete them, as I said before, we'll announce them. As of right now I can't come up with an exact time and date. But what I can say is that we are working hard to come up with those regulations.
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
With the time I have left, oil and gas regulations.... We have these targets that we've set—and I brought a handy chart. Here we have the orange line, which is where we're supposed to be. This is our target. The blue line shows our current measures. You can see that we are nowhere near our target.
So we're waiting for these oil and gas regulations. I do not believe that the sector-by-sector approach is what we need to take. But if we are taking it, through this Conservative government, how in the world, without oil and gas regulations, are we actually going to meet that target?
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
As I mentioned earlier, we remain committed to moving forward in addressing the targets and achieving our targets. Going sector by sector is making a difference in our country. We have to target our efforts in the worst emissions that we see in our own sector, in the whole coal-fired electricity, the transportation industry. Oil and gas is another component of that.
Conservative
Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut, NU
This is a national target. We have to work with the provinces, territories, municipalities, and so on to deal with the greenhouse gas emissions. Once we are ready to table these, they will be released.
