Debates of April 27th, 2007

The Environment

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that same culture of secrecy was evident earlier this week when the Minister of the Environment chose to announce his plan without inviting the opposition parties so that he could more easily control his message and discourage public debate.

How can a government that takes pride in its transparency justify restricting parliamentarians' access when it comes to an issue like the environment, which is critical to the future?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question because we finally have a government that is taking serious the importance of the environment.

For 13 years, we had a Liberal government where emissions continued to rise. The Liberals promised but obviously they were not concerned.

We now have a government that has made firm commitments: a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 50% reduction in air pollutants. We are getting it done.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we learned that the government has abandoned Kyoto.

Its plan is an illusion that will destroy Canada's potential to become a green energy superpower.

Quebec's environment minister said that this plan is too little, too late. The Pembina Institute said that the plan will do nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. David Suzuki said it is embarrassing.

Why will this government not take the future health of our planet seriously?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that it was the Liberals who abandoned Kyoto when we saw greenhouse emissions go 35% above the target. They owe this Parliament an apology.

During the committee, it was Dr. David Keith, from the University of Calgary, who told that member, “This is the kind of grandstanding that is the reason we're not having policy in Canada”.

They did not get it done. We are getting it done.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government has officially announced that it will ignore the Kyoto targets, it will ignore the Kyoto timelines, it will ignore the science of Kyoto, it will ignore environmentalists like David Suzuki and it will ignore the recommendations of the parliamentary committee.

It is a sham that prevents Canadians from using most of Kyoto's tools and that delays action for more than a decade. It is pure political hyped theatre of the absurd.

Will the Conservatives stop the doublespeak and deceit and bring their own bill, Bill C-30, back to this House so Canadians can get a real plan for our environment?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, his own leader said, “I will be part of Kyoto, but I will say to the world I don't think I will make it”. It is that party that abandoned Kyoto. It is that party that created the environmental mess. It is that party's deputy leader who said, “We didn't get it done”.

Today in The Globe and Mail, Jeffrey Simpson said that this plan was better than anything the previous Liberal government advanced.

Our plan will be effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We are turning the corner and we are doing it.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary should start answering questions and stop playing opposition.

Yesterday, the minister laid out a road map that takes a wrong turn and drives Canada into a climate change ditch. The minister's intensity based targets give up meaningful reductions of greenhouse gases and represent a complete abandonment of our Kyoto commitments.

It fails to set any industrial targets for smog. It gives the cold shoulder to early movers and uses the least cost-effective means to ensure that consumers, not polluters, pick up the tab.

What a scam.

Why should Canadians pay more for a plan that does so little?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, well-known Liberal supporter, Mr. Buzz Hargrove, has also been quoted today. He says that he thinks the minister has taken a major step forward that will deal with some of the environmental concerns but will not throw tens of thousands of workers out of work.

The Liberal plan was to destroy the economy. All they know is how to mismanage.

We have a tough, realistic plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is balanced. Canadians support it. We are getting it done.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing the Conservatives know how to do is to fearmonger.

The Conservatives abandoned Kyoto, abandoned project green and yesterday they tossed out the work of Parliament and abandoned the clean air act.

What little they did offer yesterday thumbs its nose at the international community: cheating by using 2006 as a base year and using meaningless intensity based targets.

Why does the government not just give up the hoax and admit that when it comes to the environment it just does not care?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals had taken action on the environment when they were in government, we would have met the Kyoto target, but the reality is that they did not get it done. We have heard that they did not even plan to get it done. They made a lot of promises but they did not get it done.

Our plan is realistic. We have heard that it is the toughest plan in the world. It is true. Yesterday was a historic day because the 20% reduction by 2020 is a tough target. It is a realistic target. It is a balanced target. We are getting it done.

Trade

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP has been making baseless accusations against the government without any regard for the facts. It is trying to create an issue that just does not exist by alleging that the government is participating in the North American future 2025 project round table, which involves a discussion on bulk water exports.

Can the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade confirm whether government officials are participating in this round table and if the government intends to enter into negotiations on bulk water exports?

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Secretary of State (Foreign Affairs and International Trade) (Sport)]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the great concern of the member for Selkirk—Interlake on the issue of bulk water.

Our new government is not participating in or financing this meeting in any way. On the issue of bulk water exports, we have said many times very clearly that our government has no intention of entering into negotiations, behind closed doors or otherwise, regarding the issue of bulk water exports.

Canada's new government is committed to protecting water in its natural state and to preserving the integrity of ecosystems and we will continue to do so.

I would really appreciate it--

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

The hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley.

The Environment

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there is an old saying in politics, never interrupt your opponents when they are screwing up, but when it comes to the environment we will have to fight along with Canadians to stop the government from its reckless policies to fight climate change.

Every Canadian knows that the Liberal Party screwed up and put Canada in a deep hole when it came to our own climate change targets, but that is no excuse for the Conservative government to continue with the delay. Will it bring back the clean air and climate change act for a free and fair vote in this Parliament now?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that if the plan we introduced yesterday had been introduced in 1997, we would have met the Kyoto targets. I ask members to listen to this quote:

--my initial reaction is that this is a strong step in the right direction. The federal government seems to finally have its priorities straight on climate change....

Do you know who said that, Mr. Speaker? The leader of the Liberal Party in Alberta.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is in an obvious and huge mess when the only group truly praising this plan is the oil and gas sector. This is meant to be a plan for our environment, not for the oil patch.

It is understood that the 13 years of Liberal inaction on this file do not permit the government any more excuses for not getting the job done and bringing in the clean air and climate change plan. It is no longer excusable for the government to rely on the excuses of failed past governments.

Will the government bring the clean air and climate change act back to Parliament for a free and democratic vote today?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, the only people who are opposing this plan, which is a good realistic plan, are the radical environmentalists and the opposition.

I have a quote from the FCM president, who said:

We applaud the Minister for recognizing the important role municipal governments can play in the national fight against climate change.

The plan is real. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020. That is huge. We will cut pollution levels by 50% in the next eight years. We are getting it done.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Gary Merasty, Liberal, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Senate released a report entitled “Children: The Silenced Citizens”. Highlighted within it is how Canada has failed aboriginal children.

The government continues to re-victimize these silent victims living in third world conditions. It refuses to rebuild schools that have burned. It cut funding to child welfare programs. It betrayed children by killing the Kelowna accord. It ignored aboriginal children through two federal budgets. It even refused to apologize to residential school students and survivors.

The government must stop playing political games with children's lives. When will it make aboriginal children a priority?

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians]

Mr. Speaker, of course our government is very concerned about the state of aboriginal children in Canada. That is why we continue to make very large investments, both in the previous budget and in the current one.

I would like to point out the fact that unfortunately the Liberal Party of Canada is slowing down the process on an important bill that we have brought forward, Bill C-44, which actually brings human rights to people on reserve. This is something that has been neglected for so many years.

We want the Liberals to pass this bill. We would very much like to see this happen. Hopefully the member opposite can speak to the Liberal position on that bill.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

That is another piece of misinformation, Mr. Speaker, from that group across the floor.

Recent press reports indicate that the federal government had been warned of the inhumane living conditions at residential schools that led to the spread of tuberculosis. That disease caused the death of almost half of the children at those schools.

Today, the survivors and the families of these victims live with the realities of this neglect.

Again, what could possibly be preventing this meanspirited government from apologizing for the legacy of residential schools?

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians]

Mr. Speaker, of course our government was very interested in making sure that this sad chapter of Canadian history was rectified. We signed the residential schools agreement just last year.

Not only did we do that, but we have moved forward with a reconciliation process that we believe will bring to bear the facts that have occurred over that period of history. We will continue to make sure that this happens.

Veterans Affairs

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, almost one year ago in this House I asked this question. When will the Prime Minister honour his written promise to my constituent Joyce Carter to immediately extend VIP benefits to all veterans and widows of the second world war and the Korean war?

The minister's excuse at the time was that he was waiting for the department to complete a full study on health services. Expert witnesses at the veterans affairs committee have stated there is nothing stopping the government from moving right now.

I will ask again, why does the Prime Minister continue to ignore the promise he made to Joyce Carter?

[Greg Thompson, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I think everyone will acknowledge that we have done more for veterans in our first 13 months in office than the Liberals did in 13 years. The Liberals, the government the member was part of, cut VIP services to allied veterans. They cut burial programs for veterans. They cut travel rates and treatment benefits for veterans.

We are committed to improving the VIP, but we are not going to do it in the ad hoc, make it up as we go along approach the Liberals always took and always will take.

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in November of last year the Gerontological Advisory Council at Veterans Affairs Canada released a report calling for an integrated health system for our veterans, with statements such as these:

There is no time for extensive debate; there is only time to act. It is time to keep the promise.

Five months later we have heard nothing from the minister on his plans to implement this program. Worse, the Conservatives have presented two budgets to the House without improving the quality of health care for veterans. When will the government stop stalling? When will it honour its commitments to our veterans and implement this program?

[Greg Thompson, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I want to make the member aware of what we have done for veterans in the last budget.

In fact, since taking office, we have increased benefits to veterans to the tune of half a billion dollars. We have brought in more front line workers. Those are things that the Liberals actually rejected in our budget. We have already brought in an ombudsman and the bill of rights. We are committed to improving those benefits.

Again, we are not going to do it in the ad hoc, make it up as we go along approach that the Liberals always take. We are doing it in a way that is--