Mr. Speaker, for a member who was part of a government that left us a $42.5 billion deficit, I do not think we need to take any lessons on how to invest and spend money.
Specifically, we are the government that has had eight balanced budgets or better and the only G-7 state paying off the national debt. Therefore, when it comes to money, I would suggest that is a topic the member may want to debate with me at another time.
On this particular issue, let us get it clear. Our first priority is to reduce emissions in Canada. However the member should know, if he has read the Kyoto protocol and understands it, that this is a global treaty. Canada fought hard to have a market based emissions trading system and in fact if the amendment were to go forth it would block Canada out of an international trading system. That makes absolutely no sense.
I agree with my colleague from Yukon. This is an issue that transcends borders. Although our primary concern is in Canada, the issue is that Canadian companies, which are leaders in the areas of clean air, clean water and of dealing with issues that affect all countries, will have the opportunity to work abroad. All our partners in the Kyoto protocol system are buying international credits. I therefore am not quite sure what the member does not understand.
Our priority is Canada. However, if in fact they cannot all be met within Canada, we will be able to deal with it in the trading system internationally. In terms of the actual emissions, they must be verifiable and they must be real. There is no hot air from Russia, no hot air from the Conservatives and no hot air from anyone. We are not buying hot air. They must be verifiable and they must conform to Kyoto. In other words, those have to be real reductions, which is what we have said all along.
I am not quite sure why these amendments were put forth because we are simply doing what all the other countries are doing in terms of the treaty. We are saying that it is a global problem and if it is a global problem we need to have the global instruments and, in this case, we obviously are prepared to act domestically. If there is a need internationally we will have that opportunity. We will not cut ourselves off while other countries will have that opportunity.
On the one hand the party opposite complains that it does not believe in Kyoto, that it does not even believe in climate change and that it does not believe there is a real problem and if there is it will not give us the tools to deal with the problem. It then will say that we could not solve the problem but it will because it did not give us all the options.
I do not think any good general goes into any battle and precludes certain options. We are very clear Kyoto compliant in terms of those emissions. This is something that Canadian companies support because companies in the green technology field, of which Canada is a leader, will have an opportunity. Why would we want to freeze out Canadian companies in the international system? Why would we not want to do that? Why would we not support that?
We are not spending money abroad. I really think the member has to rethink what it is he is asking because in this case it would not comply with the others. It does not assist Canadian companies and it certainly does not help on the issue of climate change globally.