Evidence of meeting #118 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was question.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Stephen Lucas  Deputy Minister, Department of the Environment
Daniel Watson  Chief Executive Officer, Parks Canada Agency
Ron Hallman  President, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

11:35 a.m.

NDP

Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC

I think you should follow that example.

Am I out of time, Madam Chair?

11:35 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte

Yes. You might get a chance to have the last round.

Next, we have Mr. Amos sharing with Mr. Aldag.

11:35 a.m.

Liberal

William Amos Liberal Pontiac, QC

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Minister, we very much appreciate that you are here today.

I would like to begin by thanking you and the Environment Canada officials for your hard work on the 2018 budget with regard to conservation. It's historic and very special. Never in Canada's history has there been an investment of $1.3 billion over four years for marine and land conservation.

What have you done in recent months to advance the conservation agenda, whether in national parks or other protected areas across Canada?

11:35 a.m.

Liberal

Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON

Thank you very much for your question.

Indeed, $1.3 billion over five years is a historic investment and a major announcement. Canadians are very proud of that because they want the government to preserve parks and protected areas. We also said that we would achieve our international protection goal of protecting 10% of our oceans and 17% of our land.

We have already announced several initiatives. We announced the creation of the Tallurutiup Imanga protected area, which represents 2% of the oceans. We worked with the Inuit, and it was amazing.

We have projects in the southern Okanagan region of British Columbia. There are also those in Thaidene Nene, the Manitoba Lowlands, the Churchill and Nelson rivers, the Magdalen Islands, James Bay, the southern Strait of Georgia. We are also continuing to work on the Scott Islands designation project.

There are certainly many possible projects, but we must work with the provinces and territories. I know that environmentalists and philanthropists have a great interest in this. This is a good opportunity to do what it takes to meet our targets abroad and what Canadians want us to do to protect the environment, parks and protected areas. It is all the more important to do this because there is also the context of climate change.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

William Amos Liberal Pontiac, QC

Thank you, Minister.

Congratulations on focusing also on that private sector aspect. It's very important to leverage private funds to achieve those public interest ends.

How are you going to engage indigenous peoples in a more extensive manner in the achievement of conservation across Canada?

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON

Thank you very much. That's a really important piece.

The reconciliation with indigenous peoples includes—as I've been told many times by indigenous peoples—“reconcili-action”. This is actually a great example of how we can partner with indigenous peoples. There was an ICE report with indigenous peoples—first nations, Métis, and Inuit—talking about opportunities. We've also met with the national indigenous organizations. We've been having conversations with indigenous communities who are particularly interested in the idea of indigenous protected areas, reimagining how we protect areas while recognizing the unique circumstances of indigenous peoples and their indigenous culture, their history, their role of indigenous knowledge and as indigenous guardians. Having young people—but also indigenous elders—on the land, protecting the land, is a huge opportunity and a huge part of our commitment to reconciliation.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte

Mr. Aldag.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

John Aldag Liberal Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

Thank you.

Minister, as you know, last year our committee prepared and published a report on heritage conservation. In that report we had a specific recommendation, recommendation 10, that dealt with the Parks Canada national cost-sharing program. The recommendation, in case you don't remember it, said that the federal government should restore the funding level for the cost-sharing program for heritage places to a minimum of $10 million per year. This program, which I had familiarity with, provided excellent support to owners and lessees of national historic sites and heritage facilities not owned by the federal government.

We heard from witnesses who talked about how oversubscribed this program is, and in the previous budgets, our government had increased the budget from $1 million to $10 million. It has reverted down to $1 million in this budget, so I'd like to know your thoughts on what role you see the federal government playing in the support and preservation of all of Canada's heritage moving forward.

Could you further comment on what that role is and how it's supported by the budget that we have before us today?

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON

Thank you very much, and I really want to thank you for all your work advocating and practically working to protect national historic sites and heritage facilities. I'm very committed to protecting built heritage in Canada. We've made substantial investments in our national historic sites.

With respect to cost sharing for non-federally owned heritage sites, the grant program has moved back to its previous A-base funding level in this fiscal year, but I'm certainly open to considering the committee's recommendation to move this grant to a permanent level of $10 million a year, going ahead.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

John Aldag Liberal Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

Great. Thank you.

Maybe I will give your parliamentary secretary a minute to provide comment on how budget 2018 will transform the way Canada protects species at risk.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte

You have 10 seconds.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

Jonathan Wilkinson Liberal North Vancouver, BC

The resources being provided under the budget will enable us to be more effective partners with the provinces and territories from a financial perspective in terms of creating protected areas, which obviously is intimately linked to species-at-risk protection and will provide us with the internal resources we need to ensure that we are actually focusing on what is a critical issue from a biodiversity perspective for Canada and for the world.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

John Aldag Liberal Cloverdale—Langley City, BC

Well done.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte

That was succinct.

Madame Kusie.

11:40 a.m.

Conservative

Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Minister, it seems like you really don’t want to be here this morning and thank you very much for that super classy opening.

How many deaths are there in Canada every year due to pollution?

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON

I'm very happy to be here. As I say, this is my third time in 12 weeks. I think you do good work and it's important to report—

11:40 a.m.

Conservative

Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB

Answer the question, please. How many deaths are there in Canada each year due to pollution?

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON

We know that pollution worldwide accounts for over one million deaths. That's why doing things such as phasing out coal is so important.

11:40 a.m.

Conservative

Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB

Minister, on May 25 of this year, you told the House, and I quote—

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON

On a point of order, Madam Chair, if the member is going to ask a question, then please allow the minister to answer that question.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte

That's not really a point of order.

11:40 a.m.

An hon member

She answered the question.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON

She hadn't finished answering that question.

11:40 a.m.

An hon. member

She said, it's one million.

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte

Let's give her the chance to answer and then go on to the next question.