Evidence of meeting #5 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was plan.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
What would the added costs be for farmers to dry their grain, heat their barns, ship their goods by truck or rail and for any other fuel use?
Liberal
Jonathan Wilkinson Liberal North Vancouver, BC
As I say, the focus is on decarbonizing our fuels. It's a critical part of the climate plan. It's 30 megatonnes in reductions.
I would hazard a guess that if you take out a price on pollution and take out a clean fuel standard, both of which your party opposes, you are going to have a very interesting time trying to meet your commitments to the Paris targets.
It will be done in a cost-effective way. In the same way that alarmists said that taking lead out of gasoline or banning chlorofluorocarbons to save the ozone layer was going to cause economic catastrophe, this measure will drive innovation and it will be implemented in a manner that is fully cost-effective.
Conservative
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
Minister, you've had five years to tell us, though, how many jobs this is going to—in my opinion—lose, particularly in my province of Alberta. I look forward to your detailed analysis and I hope it comes soon, because there are many, many Canadians, particularly Albertans, who are very worried about what the clean fuel standard means.
Liberal
Jonathan Wilkinson Liberal North Vancouver, BC
Alberta has a lot to gain economically through this, as does Saskatchewan—
Conservative
Liberal
Jonathan Wilkinson Liberal North Vancouver, BC
—which was the province in which I grew up.
Biofuels can be produced very easily on the Prairies. It's a great place to do that. A lot of the technology that we're talking about will be driven through the Prairies and through British Columbia. There are enormous economic opportunities for Alberta in this, and I look forward to working with companies, entrepreneurs and with the Province of Alberta to ensure that this happens.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will hurry up then.
Minister, thank you for participating in this exercise. I also thank you for speaking French and congratulate you on that.
You know that I respect you as an individual. However, some of your comments are problematic for me.
You said the following in your opening remarks:
However, let me make it clear from the outset: the work we are discussing today is continuing to deliver real and effective results.
Last week, the environment and sustainable development commissioner tabled a report titled “Report 2—Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies—Safe and Healthy Communities”. Yet he says the following in his report:
...the organizations [and departments] reporting was at times unclear or incomplete, making it difficult for parliamentarians and Canadians to gain a clear sense of overall progress against the goal.
Minister, I just want to remind you that you have five objectives and five plans to implement in order to achieve those targets. As all the experts have said, the Paris agreement targets are currently unachievable. As my colleague Mr. Albas said, none of the two billion trees to be planted have been planted so far. The Department of Transportation has confirmed that it will be impossible to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Minister, given the current situation, the objective in terms of zero-emission vehicles by 2040 will be practically impossible to reach. I think this is smoke and mirrors.
What is your response to that?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Minister, I'm going to give Mr. Godin 30 more seconds for your response.
Liberal
Jonathan Wilkinson Liberal North Vancouver, BC
Thank you.
Of course, I respect you and everyone else here today. We are having a good discussion.
It goes without saying that we must have a plan to achieve the 2030 and 2050 targets. That is not a political issue; it is a scientific one. We all want a future where our children and our grandchildren will have a good life. I am certain that we will have a plan to deal with climate change.
You also talked about things we said we wanted to do....
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Minister, I have to stop you. I've been too generous.
This is the last question for the minister. His hour is up.
Mr. Scarpaleggia, you have five minutes.
Liberal
Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Climate change must be fought across the globe. So it is important for Canada to help developing countries limit their greenhouse gas emissions.
To what extent will those projects funded by Canada internationally play into our commitments made under the Paris agreement?
Liberal
Jonathan Wilkinson Liberal North Vancouver, BC
Climate change is still a global security issue that knows no borders and requires a global solution. That is why Canada is playing a key role internationally in protecting the environment.
To support the Paris agreement, since 2015, our government has provided $2.65 billion in international climate financing to help developing countries transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy.
Earlier this year, Global Affairs Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada launched a series of consultations with our partners to find the best ways to enable our country to continue to make strategic, targeted and significant investments.
We will continue to support that important work, as the global fight against climate change has concrete benefits for all Canadians.
Liberal
Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
Thank you.
Madam Chair, do I have enough time to ask one or two other questions? I hope so.
Liberal
Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
That's great.
Earlier, we were talking about targets regarding which, I hope, Parliament will legislate through a bill that will be submitted.
What is the provinces' role in the setting of those targets? Are you holding consultations with industrial sectors and the provinces to define those targets? What kind of progress has been made in that process?
Liberal
Jonathan Wilkinson Liberal North Vancouver, BC
Of course, we have to hold consultations with provinces and territories, but also with industry, environmental groups, aboriginals and other Canadians interested in those issues. We have also promised to create an organization that would advise us on achieving the zero net emission target by 2050. That is something we will be doing over the short term. That organization will have to have discussions with industry and all other stakeholders. It goes without saying that a lot of discussions and consultations will be required. We have to all work on it together in Canada.
Liberal
Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
Thank you.
Minister, we've been looking into zero-emission vehicles. I was wondering if you could tell us how you see the clean fuel standard contributing to the expansion of the fleet of zero-emission vehicles in Canada. I know that the clean fuel standard in California has been quite effective in advancing the objective of having more ZEVs on the road.
Liberal
Jonathan Wilkinson Liberal North Vancouver, BC
The clean fuel standard is a very important part of Canada's climate plan. It achieves 30 megatonnes, which is almost 10% of the reductions Canada needs to achieve in order to meet and exceed our 2030 climate goals. It is a measure that focuses on how we reduce the carbon content of the fuels we use.
We're not the first to do it. It's been done in British Columbia and it's been done in California. It's been done in a number of different places around the world.
There are different ways in which to satisfy that reduction in carbon content. Some are energy efficiency measures. Some are a blending of ethanol and other biofuels. The third is accelerating the deployment of zero-emission vehicles, which essentially lowers the overall carbon content of the vehicle fleet.
We believe that the clean fuel standard is going to accelerate work in all of those areas. It will accelerate employment. It's going to accelerate technology. It's going to be something that's very good from an economic perspective for very many Canadians.
Liberal
Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
Thank you.
Is my time almost up, Madam Chair?
How are the consultations on the Canada water agency coming along? As you know, this is one of my—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Minister, I guess you've given us your hour. If you'd like to take your leave, you can go and we'll keep the officials here.
Bloc
