Mr. Speaker, in Tuesday night's vote, this House directed the Conservative government to live up to Canada's climate change commitments. Yesterday the Prime Minister made it clear he has no intention of listening to the will of Parliament.
This arrogance comes on the heels of the minister's embarrassing performance on the international stage in Bonn. Members of the international community are confused. They wonder why Canada is the lone signatory country to the treaty without a plan. They wonder about Canada's rush to join George Bush in this race to the bottom of the environmental heap.
The Prime Minister and the Minister of the Environment have grossly misled Canadians, suggesting that our economy would have to virtually shut down in order for us to achieve our goals. Many countries that started early and have already gone beyond their initial commitments have experienced tremendous economic growth.
There is no doubt that the Liberals made the job more difficult through their inaction over 13 years in power, but true leadership would mean finding a way to clean up their mess, not taking a defeatist attitude toward one of Canada's most urgent issues. Perhaps the minister will think I am meddling, but someone must--