House of Commons Hansard #11 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was kimberley.
Stephen Harper Canadian AllianceLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, if it is going to delay its plans it should delay the ratification as well.
As the minister said, last week the Alberta government tabled its plan for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions without destroying the economy. Will the federal government now agree to work with the Alberta government on its alternative to Kyoto?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition must have taken some absence from this place. We have been working with the Province of Alberta since 1997 on the Kyoto accord.
The Alliance members who surround him also appear ignorant of the fact that it was Alberta and the federal government that chaired the federal-provincial-territorial working group for five full years.
Stephen Harper Canadian AllianceLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, Albertans will never forget the attitude of this party toward Albertans on energy issues during the national energy program. We expect the government to work with the provincial government on this.
The federal government promised that it would consult the provinces before ratifying the Kyoto protocol. However, the implementation of this agreement will inevitably result in interference in provincial jurisdictions, both shared and exclusive.
Will the government pledge to not implement the Kyoto protocol without the consent of the provinces?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, it is very simple. The federal government has certain powers and the provinces also have powers. We want both levels of government, including the territories, to work together to arrive at a plan for Canada in which no region of the country will be adversely affected.
John Reynolds Canadian Alliance West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, last week the Prime Minister was minutes away from firing his Solicitor General. A cabinet shuffle was imminent because of the unethical behaviour of the man of Green Gables.
Today the Solicitor General is still there--
John Reynolds Canadian Alliance West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
The former defence minister argued that the sins of the Solicitor General were the same as the ones he committed.
We have known for weeks that the Solicitor General ignored any thinking person's idea of ethical guidelines. Is the Solicitor General going to remain in place? What is the Prime Minister waiting for?
John Manley LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister will review the report that Mr. Wilson has been working on and give it full consideration.
John Reynolds Canadian Alliance West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, from the standing ovation it seems that some of them already know what is in the report.
They call it the Liberal limbo. The Prime Minister sets the bar so low his ministers can tunnel under it and they choose not to step over it.
Is it not true that the Prime Minister will not fire the Solicitor General because he does not know how many other ministers would be forced to follow the Solicitor General out the exit door?
John Manley LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the notion of the hon. member trying limbo now is intriguing to think of, to say the least, but I am sure he will recover soon.
I think it is fair to say that the Prime Minister ought to have the time to review the report that Mr. Wilson is preparing.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, Alberta's environment minister recognizes that Quebec produces little greenhouse gases, but feels that Quebec should do more than Alberta to reduce gas emissions, even though that province is a bigger polluter. Alberta's minister even went so far as to ask Ottawa to crack down on Quebec.
Does the federal Minister of the Environment share the twisted logic of his Albertan counterpart? If he does not, will the minister condemn it by proposing an implementation plan that takes into account Quebec's good performance?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, we have no intention of discriminating against any region of the country. This is why it is so important to enlist the cooperation of the provinces and territories to develop a national plan.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, thanks to huge federal grants, Alberta got rich for years with its oil and gas, without any regard for the environment, while Quebec developed, at its own cost, its hydroelectric energy, which is a clean form a energy. Quebec is still prepared to do its share, but only its fair share.
In this context, does the Minister of the Environment agree that implementation of the Kyoto protocol must include the polluter-pay principle, a principle that is fair for everyone, including Alberta and Quebec?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, the most important principle to us is that no region must be adversely affected by the implementation of the Kyoto protocol. That is the basic principle. The other principles—and there are many, including the least expensive approach, for example—would hurt one region or another in one way or another.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the federal plan to implement the Kyoto protocol seeks to reward those industries that pollute the most by making more emissions trading permits available to them than to those that have been polluting the least since 1990.
Does the Minister of the Environment recognize that this approach basically waters down Kyoto to please the lobby of the most polluting industries at the expense of those that have made efforts in the past?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
No, Mr. Speaker. The federal government intends to implement Kyoto and to meet the target of reducing emissions to 6% below 1990 levels.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the minister did suggest that by using 2010 as the reference year instead of 1990, the minister is letting polluters know they need not fear, they can keep on polluting until 2010.
Does the minister realize that such an approach penalizes those who made efforts in the past and that he is sending polluters the message that he who pollutes will be rewarded, basically that, in the long run, polluting pays off?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I do hope that, on the 28 of this month, when the provinces and territories get together with the federal government, we will discuss which reference year is the most acceptable to all levels of government.
I realize that the province of Quebec has taken a very clear position on the matter, and I respect this position. But there are also other provinces, whose views are different.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, on September 26 Canadian citizen Maher Arar was detained and imprisoned in New York by the U.S. government while in transit from Tunisia to Canada.
With no legal counsel present, Mr. Arar was subjected to secret interrogations and then deported, not back to Canada, which he requested, but to Syria. According to the Syrian government he never arrived.
Where is Maher Arar?
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we remain extremely concerned about the case of Mr. Arar. I have raised this issue with American authorities, with the ambassador and at the highest levels, to register our concern with the fact that Mr. Arar is a Canadian citizen and should have been treated as a Canadian citizen.
Our concern at this time is to find Mr. Arar and allow his family to enter into contact with him. This government is sparing no efforts whatsoever, and in fact we are exercising all our efforts to ensure that we are able to do that.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not looking for concern, they are looking for answers. Maybe we need to issue a travel advisory telling people it is not safe to go to the U.S. these days.
What Mr. Arar's family wants to know and what Canadians want to know is whether the minister demanded the Americans' evidence that in fact they deported him to Syria. We want to know what route he took. We want to know what flight he was on. We want to know who accompanied him. We want to know if he arrived in Syria.
Did the foreign affairs minister get answers to those questions and, if not, why not?
Bill Graham LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we have inquired of Syrian authorities and other authorities in that region to ascertain the presence of Mr. Arar. We have so far not been able to find an answer to our questions but that does not mean we are not making all efforts to do so. It is unreasonable for the hon. member to suggest that we are not making all efforts necessary to protect the life of a Canadian citizen who was abroad.
Joe Clark Progressive Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.
Eight provinces have now said that they will not support the Kyoto accord until the government presents a detailed plan. The Prime Minister postponed today's meeting to finally show the provinces his peekaboo plan for Kyoto.
Is it the federal government's position that it can give effect to the Kyoto accord without the agreement of the provinces, and is it still the government's intention to have the deadline of the end of this calendar year respected for the ratification of the Kyoto accord?
David Anderson LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, it is extremely important to have all three levels of government, territorial, provincial and federal, working together on an implementation plan for Kyoto. By doing so we can reduce any negative impacts and we can maximize the many benefits of the Kyoto accord.
We fully expect to work with the provinces. We know that as we get closer to the date, yes, certain positions will be taken, some of which are negotiating positions, some of which are firmly held, but we fully expect at the meeting next Monday, a week from today, to have a very constructive discussion with the provinces and territories.
John Herron Progressive Conservative Fundy Royal, NB
Mr. Speaker, we have more mismanagement on the environment. Tomorrow the commissioner for the environment will table a damning report on the mismanagement of 1,200 contaminated sites under federal jurisdiction.
Oil products, heavy metals, carcinogens and other chemicals from abandoned mines, DND sites and toxic dumps are not only harmful to the environment but also to human health. The commissioner will highlight that the government has no plan or strategy to clean up these federal sites despite two passing mentions in throne speeches.
My question is for the environment minister. What will the environment minister do to clean up the toxic legacy of the Prime Minister?