Thank you very much, Chair.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to the committee. It's great being back; I appreciate the work the committee does. It's really important that action to protect the environment and tackle climate change is not a partisan issue.
I want to acknowledge the hard work of the colleagues who have joined me today: Sean Fraser, parliamentary secretary for this portfolio; Dr. Stephen Lucas, deputy minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada; Michael Nadler, acting chief executive officer of the Parks Canada Agency; and Ron Hallman, president of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
Gentlemen, thank you for your work.
I want to start by recognizing that we're on the traditional territory of the Algonquin and Anishinabe peoples.
I also want to recognize all the people who are suffering with the flooding that's going on. That's people in New Brunswick, in Quebec, in Ontario and in the national capital region. I know our members of Parliament are working very hard; thank you for that.
On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, my department is taking strong action to protect our environment, fight climate change, conserve nature and grow our economy.
On April 11, the main estimates were tabled. For Environment and Climate Change Canada, the main estimates for 2019-20 are $1.8 billion. This represents an increase in planned spending of $312.2 million.
The increase is mainly due to new funding for two priorities. The first is to re-profile funds for the low carbon economy fund to support our work on climate change and clean growth. The second is to better protect Canada's nature, parks and wild spaces.
These main estimates also include four new votes that total $26.3 million. This includes Canada's marine safety response and funding for strong Arctic and northern communities.
In addition, we will be implementing a federal carbon offset system to develop the information technology infrastructure and tracking systems required for a national carbon offset credit system.
It also includes ensuring better disaster management, preparation and response. Unfortunately, the annual economic costs of disasters around the world have increased fivefold since the 1980s, as events related to climate change have occurred with more frequency and severity. Canada has not been immune to this trend.
Our planet is in crisis. Canadians are deeply anxious about climate change. Under the previous Conservative government, these concerns were ignored. Our country is warming at twice the global rate, according to expert Government of Canada scientists, and our north at three times the rate. Canadians voted for leadership that would confront this crisis with action: it is a moral imperative.
We're working hard to make sure all Canadians are part of our cleaner future, from resource workers and their communities to the school strikers and other young people calling for bold climate action.
Climate change is creating real and present dangers. Here in Ottawa and Gatineau, our riverbanks have been breached by floods once again. What we called the flood of a century now happens every few years.
Across our country, you will hear more and more stories related to the environment. These extreme weather events are happening more and more often because of a situation our species, humankind, has created.
The simple fact is that in 2019, if you don't have a plan for the environment, you don't have a plan for the economy. Our made in Canada climate plan, made with all Canadians, includes phasing out coal-fired electricity and regulating greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, methane emissions from oil and gas, and HFCs, which on their own could account for half a degree of global warming. We're also investing in energy efficiency across the country.
An important part of any serious climate plan ensures it's no longer free to pollute. Climate change is already costing us a fortune. Last year, extreme weather caused $1.9 billion in property damage. That number is estimated to go as high as $43 billion by 2050.
Putting a price on carbon is a practical and proven solution to reduce emissions. Let me also unequivocally remind you that all direct proceeds from federal carbon pricing will be returned to the jurisdiction in which they were collected. In Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, taxpayers get the money back through the climate action incentive when they file their 2018 taxes.
Let me be clear that all money collected under the price on pollution is going back into the province, with 90% of the money going directly to families. Eighty per cent of families will be better off, so go file your taxes if you are in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan or New Brunswick.
Last week, the parliamentary budget office's independent analysis found that under the federal system, all but the wealthiest 20% of Canadians will get more back through the climate action incentive rebate than they pay. A price on pollution encourages Canadians to make cleaner choices, reduces pollution and helps Canada meet its Paris Agreement requirements. It is a practical and affordable way to fight climate change.
Leading economists from all over the world agree that putting a price on pollution and returning the money, as this system does, is one of the most effective ways to encourage people and businesses to reduce their pollution.
While we are standing on the precipice of a climate catastrophe, members of the opposition want to make climate action a partisan issue. We've been waiting a year—yes, today marks 365 days—to see the Conservatives' climate plan. They keep stalling, but time is running out. Worse, they're misleading Canadians about how the federal price on pollution works.
A number of our Conservative colleagues recently sent out taxpayer-funded householders— newsletters—that deliberately withheld details about how their constituents can claim their climate action incentive. That's hundreds of dollars that rightly belong to their constituents, to Canadians.
Conservatives are more focused on scoring partisan points than looking out for the people they're elected to represent and ensuring they are better off.
That's just one of the ways I have seen the members of the opposition use to mislead their constituents and to spread information that is partially, or even totally, false. Climate change is a serious and urgent issue that should not be used as a political forum by the opposition.
The children who are marching the streets may not be able to vote yet, but they know that we need to do more, not less. They do not inherit the earth from us when we are done polluting it. We are borrowing the earth from them.
Mr. Chair, protecting the environment and supporting a sustainable economy also means keeping our waters clean and our oceans healthy. That's why our departmental plan outlines strategies to protect Canada's freshwater resources and reduce marine litter and plastic waste.
We are continuing to work with international partners, all levels of government, indigenous communities, industry and the public to reduce plastic waste and its pollution.
We launched the ocean plastics charter during Canada's G7 presidency, to beat plastic pollution and keep it out of our oceans, lakes and rivers. Membership has expanded to 18 governments and over 50 organizations. We're working with the provinces and territories on a Canada-wide strategy to keep plastics in the economy and out of landfills.
Work also continues on implementing the recommendations of the committee's report on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Many of the actions require using new science, and actions are being taken to strengthen the use of new science in decision-making.
Our departmental plan also highlights major investments in conservation. The world is home to 60% less wildlife than it was in 1970 and wilderness is disappearing rapidly. Canada is one of five countries that holds the world's significant remaining wilderness. We are in a unique position to lead. That's why our government launched the nature legacy fund; the single-largest investment to protect nature in Canada's history. We've also protected 11.8% of our land and fresh water and 8% of our oceans and coastal areas. We're well on our way to doubling the amount of nature being protected across Canada.
On that note, I'd like to speak now about the main estimates for the Parks Canada Agency.
Protected areas play a critical role in restoring the health of ecosystems and protect biodiversity. Intact wilderness absorbs twice as much carbon as other landscapes, helping to mitigate the impact of climate change.
The main estimates propose about $1.65 billion in total funding for the Parks Canada Agency. This represents an increase of $178 million. In addition, budget 2019 proposes $368 million for capital projects to protect natural treasures in our national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas.
To quickly highlight a few of Parks Canada's recent accomplishments, in October, Canada reached an agreement in principle with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association for the proposed Tallurutiup Imanga/Lancaster Sound national marine conservation area in Nunavut. It will become the largest protected area in Canada, covering 2% of our oceans.
In early 2019, the first-ever management plan for Rouge National Urban Park was tabled in Parliament. Meanwhile, budget 2019 proposed to take steps to legally establish Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories.
I'd like to speak about the vital work of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. The government tabled Bill C-69, which proposes to put in place better rules to protect our environment and rebuild public trust in decisions about major projects. It also aims to restore investor confidence and ensure that good projects can move forward in a timely way. The agency plays a key leadership role in the development and implementation of this legislation and associated regulations, and can be very proud of the many contributions it makes on behalf of Canadians. The Senate is diligently considering this bill, as I speak.
The agency's total 2019-20 main estimates is $74.2 million. The requested funding supports continued delivery of environmental assessments under the current act. It also anticipates new and expanded activities under the proposed impact assessment act. These activities would touch on impact assessment, partnering with indigenous peoples. They would work on cumulative effects and collaborating with other jurisdictions to make assessments more efficient, supporting the objective of one project, one review.
Mr. Chair, this concludes my formal remarks to the committee.
I thank you again for the invitation. I look forward to your questions.
