Environment Committee on Oct. 31st, 2017

[Amanda Wilson]

That's a bit of a broad question.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

It's broad on purpose.

[Amanda Wilson]

Thank you, I think.

There are a number of obstacles, obviously. Any time you're trying to effect change in this manner, as my colleague mentioned, sometimes a lack of new resources to do these things specifically is one obstacle.

However, I think it's incumbent upon us to continuously be looking to adapt our activities to priorities, so we certainly do that. Otherwise, I think it's just about making sure that the critical mass is on board and that the messages are communicated so that officials can get on board and move in a coordinated manner in the direction that's needed.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

You don't mean lack of resources. You mean lack of additional resources.

[Amanda Wilson]

Yes, I mean additional resources, absolutely. We have lots of resources. Thank you.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Thank you very much.

I think we have our last short questioning opportunity. Go ahead, Mr. Sopuck.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

I like my seven minutes.

My view of environmental management is that you have an issue, you have remediation, and you have an outcome. For example, if you have toxic discharge from a paper mill, you put in a waste water treatment plant, and you end up with benign discharge. Here we're talking about climate change problems in Canada, and then we're talking about reducing emissions.

Which one of you will guarantee that when we reduce emissions, we will ameliorate the climate change issues in Canada?

Okay, there's silence. That speaks volumes.

[Matt Jones]

I'm just trying to get my head around the question. Are you asking me if I can guarantee that if we reduce emissions, we'll reduce climate change impacts?

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

That's right.

[Matt Jones]

I think, as people are aware, climate change is a global issue. Emissions come from—

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

I'm talking about Canada now. Yes or no?

[Matt Jones]

My answer is—if I could answer your question—because emissions come from around the world, Canada cannot, by itself, solve the global issue. Canada has to make a contribution to that effort along with the other countries of the world; hence the Paris agreement and the international efforts to work in unity.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

I'm well aware of that. Basically, Canada's operating alone is not going to have any impact on climate.

I'd like to address my—

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

That's not what he said.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Excuse me?

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

We are almost out of time. We've got about one minute.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

I would like to address my question to the Natural Resources staff.

I'm appalled that the proponents of alternative and renewable energy never consider the environmental impacts of it. I'm going to give you some numbers here. There's a solar farm in the Mojave Desert that kills 28,000 birds a year. Four hundred eagles in California are killed by wind turbines, and in Ontario, for example, approximately 40,000 bats are killed by wind turbines, three species of which are SARA-listed species and on the endangered species list.

Should the proponents of renewable energy be required to take into account the environmental impact of those projects?

[Amanda Wilson]

I'm going to turn to my colleague, Marc, who is the director responsible for these programs, to speak specifically to how we ensure that these concerns are mitigated.

[Marc Wickham]

Some of the projects that we support would address the environmental impact of renewable technologies. For example, in hydro, we would look at designs that are fish friendly. That would be an example of how we're continuously looking at the various multiple aspects of the clean energy technologies, including those impacts.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Sopuck, we have to end—

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

But bird mortalities are happening all the time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

I have to end the session.

I want to thank our guests very much, especially—

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Go ahead on a point of order.