Evidence of meeting #108 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was price.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
I don't have that question or the answer in front of me, but we published a national—
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
You just read some numbers. Where did those numbers come from?
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
They are from the national inventory report, which is published annually. It's something we submit to the United Nations. It's a public document.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
They're not numbers directly from the carbon tax. They are not emissions reduced from the carbon tax. They're numbers that are combined with a bunch of other stuff.
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
No. The numbers that I gave you are specifically related to carbon pricing.
Maybe Associate Deputy Minister Lawrence Hanson would like to add something to that.
Lawrence Hanson Associate Deputy Minister, Department of the Environment
Thank you.
It's partly making sure you draw the distinction between national inventory report numbers, which talk about the amount of emissions in any given year, versus the projections we do for future years on the basis of the model.
As the minister has indicated, there was a previous question where we talked about how to attribute individual transportation as something for an emissions reduction, but we can, using our model, determine the extent to which emission projection reductions—
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
Excuse me, sir.
I'm asking this of the minister. In terms of those numbers you gave me—I guess you can forward them to us—they were from the carbon tax. They were the emissions directly reduced from the carbon tax. Give me a yes or no.
Liberal
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
Is it yes or no? I'm asking you a direct question.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Wait a minute. I'm curious about the answer as well. We have to be careful that we don't all speak at the same time. It's not good for the interpreters.
No witness is obliged to answer yes or no. You can ask for a yes-or-no answer. This is an important question, and it deserves a more complete answer.
Could you go ahead, Minister, and answer that question?
Mr. Mazier, I think your question was about the numbers the minister cited. You want to know if they're attributable to the price on carbon. Is that your question?
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
Yes. Are the emissions directly reduced by the carbon tax?
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Absolutely, Mr. Chair.
Number one, the Supreme Court of Canada, in its court case on carbon pricing, was very clear that the system we put in place was not a tax. The answer to your question—
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
That's not answering the question. I have another question.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
He's not answering the question. I have another question.
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
I am. Give me 30 seconds. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for 30 seconds—
Liberal
Steven Guilbeault Liberal Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
—for something as complex as carbon pricing.
The numbers I quoted earlier are emission reductions from carbon pricing. We will be happy to communicate those to the committee.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
How many megatonnes of emissions were directly reduced from the carbon tax in 2023?
