Madam Speaker, I am delighted to rise here today to speak to Motion No. 295 to support the renewable energy sector and Canada's participation within the International Renewable Energy Agency. The motion moved by the hon. member for Saint-Laurent—Cartierville reads as follows:
That, in the opinion of the House, the government should increase its support of Canada’s renewable energy sector, allow our country to participate in the worldwide effort to develop renewable energy sources and enlist Canada as a full member of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
I am delighted to take part in this debate. First of all, I have always believed that any policy to fight climate change should be based on two things: reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the source, combined with an excellent policy based on energy efficiency. This motion primarily addresses the first aspect of this key issue.
We are saying we have to invest hugely in renewable energies because we must reduce our dependence on oil as quickly as possible in the coming years. We can do it first off by “decarbonizing” our economy. Reducing our dependence means investing massively in renewable energies. Hydroelectricity, geothermics and wind power are examples of measures available to the government. It could encourage them by using regulatory and fiscal instruments.
We must remember that, historically, the federal government has always use tax incentives to fund projects. It has done so through Natural Resources Canada programs. With the wind power production incentive program, for example, the federal government decided to fund kilowatt hours produced by wind power. It does so to make these renewable energies competitive and to lend a hand to the industries that need it and have demonstrated in recent years, that they can be a powerful springboard in revitalizing our economies, in shifting to green, in creating jobs and in repositioning Canada on the international stage.
This is what the UN said nearly a year ago, when it proposed to western countries that they create this green new deal and change our approach in these sectors in order to revive the world economy. The first part of this motion serves, therefore, to encourage the government to increase its support for the Canadian renewable energies sector.
But we have to look at the way this government operates. We had a fine demonstration today—the Minister of Natural Resources said in private that the government and the Minister of the Environment encouraged the tar sands industry, no less. As the minister indicated in private, they take financial resources that should be allocated to renewable energies, specifically to wind energy in this instance, and transfer them to the tar sands industry, which is making huge profits.
So, the issue is not that subsidies should be eliminated, since the oil industry does not necessarily receive subsidies, but such things as tax incentives given through accelerated write-offs must be quickly done away with.
The Government of Canada has to understand that it must stop providing this type of assistance, these tax incentives, and transfer them to renewable energy industries and the environmental industry. This is what should happen. The Bloc is not alone in saying this. Reports by the OECD have shown it. They aim to put in place what we call an environmental tax policy, one that will encourage these industries, so they can reposition themselves and be able to create jobs.
Second, it should allow our country to participate in the worldwide effort to develop renewable energy sources and enlist Canada as a full member of the International Renewable Energy Agency. This is important. In fact,historically, as far as energy is concerned, the Government of Canada has often had to reach decisions with regard to a variety of platforms, associations and agencies. But there is something quite incredible here. The International Renewable Energy Agency came into being on January 26, 2009. As of today, 78 nations have joined, 28 in Africa, 27 in Europe, 16 in Asia and 7 in Latin America. The Government of Canada is missing. How can it be that Canada is not a member, when in November 2007 it showed no hesitation in joining an initiative, known as the nuclear club, which is a world partnership for nuclear energy? Canadian opted instead for membership in a partnership for the development of an energy sector that reflects regional interests, no more and no less. Canada currently has 22 operating reactors. This energy repositioning need not involve the development of nuclear energy, instead, it must be based on the development of renewable forms of energy.
Canada needs to take part in these international bodies, these forums for technology exchanges and transfers to the developing world. On the North American front, we must not merely let our neighbours in the U.S. invest huge amounts per capita, four times more than the Canadian government's per capita investment, in renewable energies. Since the change of government in the U.S., we can see that there is an administration in place to the south that has understood that energy efficiency and investment in renewable energies are first and foremost an economic and environmental issue. This is what will help us build a sustainable economy.
But what has the government decided to do? It has decided to invest and continue funding and helping an industry that is contributing to the carbonization of our economy. This is not the right strategic choice for Canada, and we have strategic choices to make. We have a choice, because we know that demand will rise significantly in the coming years, not only in Canada, but also in the United States. What does that mean? It means that we have to curb our insatiable hunger for energy, but at the same time, we have to develop opportunities. That is clear. What choices do we have? Should we choose to triple or quadruple the number of barrels of oil produced per day by an industry in western Canada, or should we take advantage of the potential offered by the wind, the sun and underground heat? The answer is obvious.
When we look at the decisions the government has made on the international stage, we can see that it has decided to do two things with regard to energy: first, revive the nuclear industry and second, favour the oil sands industry.
In closing, we support this motion, not only because it is part of a policy to fight climate change, but because it is also a way to make a green shift.