Environment Committee on May 3rd, 2018

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

You are making a connection.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

—actually incorporates reference to the broader plan and the impact the different tools will have.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

I'm not going to debate it. I understand you're making the connection, but this opportunity was for the minister to explore the bill in front of us today. I understand you're making a connection in saying that it has a relation to the decisions being made for Canada, but that is not the bill.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Yes, it is the bill.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Let's give the minister one last chance to wrap it up.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

She has already.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Let's finish it. Let's finish with the minister.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

She's running out my time, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

She isn't. I haven't taken your time. It's still stopped. We're going to start it now to see if she'd like to give a specific answer, and then we'll move on to the next question.

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

I'd just like to again confirm that, because the Conservative Party of Canada has supported meeting our international obligations under the Paris Agreement, I would assume that the party would also support the Government of Canada's ability to meet its environmental obligations and support that the commitments in respect to climate change be considered in any project review.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay. Next question.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Directly to the point, Minister, I have in my hands a report produced by your department that claims that your carbon tax will reduce GHG emissions by 90 million tonnes by 2030. What gives you any assurance that you will achieve 90 megatonnes of emissions?

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

I'm sorry. I hate to keep doing this, but I'm going to have to interrupt again. That is not what we're discussing today at committee. I want you to have your full time. You asked to have the minister back so that we could ask questions specifically on this bill. That is not on this bill.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

It is on this bill.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

You have related it—

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Madam Chair, I disagree with you. In fact, this is just another attempt to cover up—

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

I've made the decision. I don't want to take your questions away.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

—the carbon tax.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Do you have another question that's on the bill? Sorry, Ed, I really want to give you your question time, but that is not a question on this bill. You're making a connection, but I am ruling that it is not on the bill.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

It's directly related to whether a project that is going to be evaluated under this bill is going to be approved. If the carbon tax doesn't work, the likelihood of a project being rejected dramatically increases.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Ed, I've made a ruling on that question. Would you like to ask another question that's related specifically to the bill?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

I am going to ask a question related to the bill about proposed paragraph 22(1)(i) that expressly addresses the requirement that projects considered under this legislation—

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Ed, I don't want to take your question time away.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

—be evaluated in terms of the climate change plan the minister has brought forward, and part of that climate change plan is a carbon tax.

Canadians have a right to know what the impact on them is and whether it reduces emissions, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

You've made your point.