Mr. Speaker, in a few days a shipment of PCBs from a U.S. military base in Japan will arrive at the port of Vancouver. It is unclear whether the environment minister has become a victim of Greenpeace hysteria in this case or whether he is a victim of his own bad judgment.
Let us consider the following facts. Canada has no restrictions on the length of time that PCBs and other kinds of hazardous waste can be stored or even how they can be disposed of. Earlier this year I expressed my concerns to the minister on this problem, yet he has refused to show leadership on the issue so far.
It is puzzling the minister now appears to abandon the same U.S. company to which the Liberals gave a generous $1.2 million HRDC grant to set up shop in Canada for the purpose of treating these kinds of PCBs.
Clearly the greater good for Canada and the rest of the world is to get PCBs out of the environment and eliminate their threat altogether. It is unfortunate the minister lacks a consistent policy on the issue. The minister is missing in action.