Mr. Speaker, pollution has been a prominent threat to Canada's environment for many decades. Since 1988 the Canadian Environmental Protection Act has enabled the federal Minister of the Environment to regulate environmental pollution at the national level. Through an ecosystem approach it addresses pollution problems on land, in water and in all layers of the atmosphere.
CEPA was designed to improve the government's environment record and standards on federal lands as well as First Nations lands and to enable Canada to fulfil its international environmental protection obligations.
The act covers a number of regulations ranging from controls on CFCs through pulp and paper effluence to PCB storage. In the red book a Liberal government pledged to use the five-year review of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to make pollution prevention a national goal and to strengthen the enforcement of federal pollution standards. This is exactly what this government intends to do.
The Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development is an excellent choice to undertake this review. The committee will be able to assess the effects of toxic substances on the health of entire ecosystems. We must take advantage of this opportunity to review CEPA and learn more about the effects of toxic substances on the environment.
We must identify and improve our understanding of atmospheric pollutants. The health of our ecosystems ultimately affects human health. Although the link between ecosystem health and human health is complex, we cannot ignore an ecosystem which is ailing. We cannot ignore fish with tumours caused by toxins, birds with crossed bills caused by eating contaminated fish and reproductive problems in wildlife that eat fish.
We cannot help but fear that human health is also in jeopardy since they are so inextricably linked. Fortunately Canada still has a number of rivers and lakes which can be considered clean. Yet we also have ecosystems that have been contaminated by industrial effluence, agricultural and urban run-off. There has been some progress made in slowing the degradation of Canada's ecosystems.
In order to ensure a healthy environment for future generations, we must develop new ways to protect our resources. I believe we must review CEPA as one part of our strategy to create a sustainable environment. We must make appropriate amendments in order to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century.
In the past, Canada has concentrated on regulating the release of pollutants. This approach has had success. However I also feel that we must develop new approaches that target pollution prevention at the source to complement CEPA. Manufacturing innovations and other environmental technologies are needed to correct the problem where it is created.
Currently Canada has about 4,500 environmental firms employing 150,000 people with combined revenues in excess of $11 billion. By the year 2000 the International Monetary Fund has forecasted that the environmental technology market is anticipated to reach $600 billion.
I believe that this government should support Canadian entrepreneurs and their endeavours to seize opportunities in this industry. Canada has developed a global reputation as an environmental leader and we must continue to build on this role. New environmental technologies and services will promote economic growth in Canada. New technologies will also enable us to clean up and prevent environmental problems.
In the pulp and paper industry, new technology has reduced the quantity of suspended solids and oxygen depleting material in mill effluent. Just a few weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity to tour a pulp and paper mill which is committed to cleaner production technologies and improved waste treatment.
The hon. member for Thunder Bay-Atikokan was kind enough to extend an invitation to Avenor mill in his riding. I was very impressed by its water treatment system and recycling efforts. This plant has significantly reduced the concentration of toxic substances in mill effluents.
Representatives from across the country have come to see the remarkable technological innovations this company has undertaken. We must applaud its effort and support future endeavours like this. I believe that CEPA has played a major role in identifying problems and forcing companies to realize that old environmentally harmful practices are not acceptable. However it is environmental technologies that have enabled companies to remedy the problem and promote more sustainable futures.
In the review of CEPA we must ensure that the federal government does not overlap and duplicate provincial regulations. We must work with the provinces to streamline and harmonize our efforts in order to cut costs and reduce confusion and frustration for environmentalists and industrialists.
Currently the Canadian Council of Environmental Ministers is in the process of working toward this end. Government and regulation are not just top down policies. I firmly believe that action at the community level is where real change occurs.
In the riding of York-Simcoe which I represent, the SOS Alliance has launched a public awareness of Lake Simcoe's serious phosphorous pollution problem in order to save Lake Simcoe.
Currently thousands of tonnes of sediment and phosphorous are being dumped into the lake every year from urban and rural sources, twice the amount that the lake requires to evolve naturally. Evidence proves that the water quality has deteriorated.
The SOS Alliance realizes that protecting Lake Simcoe ultimately protects our way of life and the entire ecosystem in the Lake Simcoe basin. In addition, by saving Lake Simcoe, a
natural resource worth $500 million annually to the economy of the Lake Simcoe watershed will also be saved.
A healthy economy and standard of living are dependent upon a healthy environment. The public has shared an interest and a responsibility in the environment. Therefore, the public should be able to access information easily and should also play a role in the shaping of new laws and policies as well as becoming involved in community based environmental projects.
Once the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development is given the task to review CEPA, I, as vice-chair of this committee, will work with my colleagues to ensure that all sectors are consulted in our review process. I firmly believe that a review of CEPA with extensive consultation is a step in the right direction to ensure that Canada as a nation will be able to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century.