Evidence of meeting #74 for Natural Resources in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was question.
A video is available from Parliament.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Oliver Conservative Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
—17 small-scale renewables that will result in the leverage of $251 million.
If you don't want to hear the answer, I guess that's up to you.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Oliver Conservative Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
I thought this wasn't just question period; I thought it was also answer period.
3:50 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
The estimates tell the contrary. The estimates tell the Canadian public that this government does not feel that climate change is an important issue and problem that they have to deal with, and your own comments underscore that.
I asked you, do you retract those comments? We have not heard a retraction from you. We have not heard an apology from you. There are Canadians who are livid that you would minimize the impacts of global climate change and minimize the impacts of a 2° rise in temperature, and then cite some fictional scientist, and you're only able to cite one, who is very clearly a climate change denier with no credibility whatsoever.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Oliver Conservative Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
I never cited the person you're talking about; that's simply false.
3:50 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
My question to you, and I'll ask you again is, do you retract those comments? Do you understand now that there are severe repercussions for a 2° global rise in temperature?
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Oliver Conservative Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
I have said repeatedly that I consider this to be an important issue. Science is complex. The science of climatology is complex. Everybody is talking about that. I referred during my interview, in the press, to the British Met Office. I referred to a James Hansen, who has recently left NASA. I referred to the IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. I agree with the consensus that climate change is urgent, and I said that clearly in my interview. It's there.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Oliver Conservative Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
I don't have to retract anything. I am confirming what I said.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Mr. Julian, please let the minister finish his answer. He's dealing directly with the question you asked.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Oliver Conservative Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
What I referred to is what I already said. I don't have to retract it; I'm reiterating.
3:50 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Minister, if that is the case, I'm glad if what we're hearing now is a confession that you've converted and you understand—
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
3:50 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
If you're retracting your remarks, that's wonderful. Will you then reverse these devastating cuts in green energy programs that are throughout the main estimates? Will you now act appropriately and responsibly to address the massive cuts? You found money for government advertising. You can then invest in a responsible way to deal with the challenge of climate change and invest in green energy. Are you prepared to do that?
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Oliver Conservative Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
The government has committed significant amounts of money. I went through some of them: the SDTC, $325 million. I talked about the clean energy fund. We've committed up to $1.5 billion to encourage domestic production of renewable fuels to meet the demand mandated by Environment Canada's regulations. All our agreements will be honoured to the end date, and they should result in total program investment of over $1 billion by 2017.
3:50 p.m.
NDP
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
I appreciate the work that you're trying to do here, but Mr. Julian should have the courtesy of allowing the minister to answer the question. This is ridiculous.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
If he wanted to take his whole time to do some sort of lecture or whatever, he could have done that, I guess, but if he's going to ask a question, he should let the minister answer it. The minister is in the middle of answering it once again, and I wish he'd just let him answer the question.