Mr. Speaker, Environment Canada has just published the national pollutant release inventory. It is the only national, legislated, publicly accessible inventory published for Canadians.
The inventory requires companies to report yearly on releases and transfers of pollutants. According to the inventory, the top five polluting industries in Canada are: petroleum and natural gas; chemical products; utility industries, such as power generating industries; paper products; and metal products.
The largest polluter is the petroleum and natural gas sector. It increased its pollution in 2000 from 140,000 tonnes in 1999 to 170,000 tonnes. Also, lead pollution is up from 1,534 tonnes in 1998 to 3,727 tonnes in 2000, an increase of 143%. These statistics are alarming. They point to a rise in industrial pollution.
I urge the government to take action by enforcing the Canadian--