Thanks.
I think there's an opportunity for two birds with one stone here, because I think Mr. Fast's motion on clean tech is the solution part of the challenge. It's the second side of the coin around climate in general.
I'm looking through the minister's mandate letter as well. This is the first and predominant piece that is directed towards her and the new government, which is that if there's a challenge proposed on climate and a recent commitment to the world in Paris, part of the question that follows is, how do you do it? What does it mean and then how do you do it?
The clean tech is the answer. Actually, it's the much more optimistic piece of climate change, rather than the last 20 years, which have been about parts per million and two degrees and all these sorts of things that have often been framed very much in the negative. Many of us have argued that there's not nearly as much attention given to the positive side, or the opportunity side, which is around what that knowledge economy is that Mr. Fast talks about. What are the clean-tech solutions that we need to start generating more of in Canada, not just for the climate reasons but for reasons of a stronger economic outlook?
If there's a way—and I think this is where this eventually comes to—some of these motions or a coupling together of ideas would be very helpful, but for the environment and climate change committee not to take on some type of climate change assessment.... As we heard from officials just last week, how do you bend the curve? The previous government had a target over there, but the line is pointing up over here. The new government has said that target is their floor. That's nice, but the solution piece lies in what Mr. Fast was talking about. How do you bend the curve so that our economy is more efficient and is producing more of those highly paid high-tech jobs? I see that as one category, frankly, I think: meeting our obligations and talking about what Mr. Fast is talking about.
The second broad category, if I look at this—and it's another motion, as Mr. Fast brought in a little bit of what Mr. Amos suggested—is about protected areas and migratory birds. That would be a second broad set of studies around conservation and the migratory birds element, which I think would be very helpful for the committee to get into.
Those are the two pieces that I would raise right now.