Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to note that today, like more than 1,300 other cities around the world, Montreal will close a major part of its downtown to motorists. The slogan for this day is “Car Free Day”.
The first day of this kind was held in Paris in 1998. The aim of “Car Free Day” is to explore alternative modes of transportation to single-occupant vehicle usage and to promote joint reflection on possible solutions for improving quality of life in large cities.
Under the Kyoto protocol adopted in December 1997, Canada's commitment was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 6% below 1990 levels by 2012. We all know that raising awareness of the problem of greenhouse gases is very important.