Mr. Speaker, I know the member for Ottawa South would have thanked me, as he has his other colleagues, had I spoken before him.
It is a privilege to speak to this motion which was tabled by the hon. member for Saint-Laurent—Cartierville.
This Conservative government is a strong supporter of renewable energy, and we have been strategic and prudent in our decisions about how to invest effectively in the development of renewable energy both at home and abroad.
Canada's leadership in renewable energy is well known around the world. For example, Canada participates in many key initiatives, including the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership, the Global Bioenergy Partnership, the Asia-Pacific Partnership, the APEC Energy Working Group, and the International Energy Agency, otherwise known as IEA.
In fact, among our activities under the IEA, Canada is currently participating in eight IEA implementation agreements involving a broad range of renewable energies, such as bioenergy, ocean energy, photovoltaics, renewable technologies, and solar, wind and hydro power.
There is no question that Canada has been extremely active and stands at the forefront of renewable energy. While our international commitments are strong, we have been careful and selective in making them. We have joined many international initiatives, but not all of them, mainly due to concerns about duplication and overlap, and ensuring that we make the best and most effective use of our resources, both human and financial.
Since the International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA, was first proposed in 2004, many other initiatives have been launched, and Canada is a full participant in most of them. Currently, several key G8 partners--the U.S., Japan and Russia--have not joined IRENA, nor have the significant emerging economies of China and Brazil.
Our government has already accomplished much on this file. Since first elected, we have moved aggressively forward in advancing the use of renewable energy in Canada. As a result, Canada's electricity supply mix is one of the cleanest and most renewable in the world, and over the past 10 years we have seen exponential growth in renewable energy in Canada.
Our commitment remains unchanged. This government intends to see that 90% of Canada's electricity will be provided by non-emitting sources, such as hydro, nuclear, clean coal or wind power, by 2020. Renewable energy will play a key part in achieving this objective. For instance, wind energy has become the fastest growing source of electricity generation in Canada and it is expected to experience significant further growth during the next decade.
Another non-fossil fuel energy source, hydroelectricity, accounts for nearly 60% of Canada's total electricity generation making Canada the world's second largest hydro power producer. These and other clean renewable energy technologies, such as solar, biomass, and geothermal, will continue to contribute substantially to our economic growth and to our objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We owe it to future generations to take action on climate change now. Renewable energy is a large part of the Government of Canada's plan to address climate change. That is why to further support Canada's leadership in clean energy, budget 2009 provides $1 billion over five years to support clean energy technologies. This includes $150 million over five years for research, $850 million over five years for the development and demonstration of promising technologies, including large scale carbon capture and storage projects. This support is expected to generate a total investment in clean technologies of at least $2.5 billion over the next five years.
Energy production is the backbone of Canada's economy. It has long contributed significantly to the quality of life of all Canadians. Before the economic downturn, Canada's energy production was approaching $100 billion annually. However, the reality is that energy production and use are also the sources of most of Canada's air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The task at hand is twofold: to clean up the production in the use of fossil fuels; and to increase the use of clean energy by helping Canadians use more energy efficiently, boost renewable energy supplies and develop cleaner energy technologies.
Through our eco-energy for renewable heat program, we are supporting the uptake of renewable energy by industry, business and institutions. It is expanding the use of renewable energy for space heating and hot water. Our government is also encouraging Canadians to install renewable energy technologies in their homes by providing eco-energy grants to homeowners for the installation of solar hot water systems and ground or water source heat pumps.
Our recent economic action plan includes new measures totalling almost $2.4 billion that further increases our support for a cleaner and more sustainable environment that will help Canada meet our climate change objectives. The plan provides another $1 billion for a green infrastructure fund that will support modern energy transmission lines and sustainable energy projects.
Canada's economic action plan includes an additional $300 million for our eco-energy retrofit homes initiative to help an additional 200,000 homes increase their energy efficiency and reduce their energy costs.
This mix of initiatives is bold and strategic and positions us well as we move into the next decade and increase the use of renewable and clean electricity in Canada. As we look to the future, we will continue to work with industry and other stakeholders to discuss other ways to further advance renewable energy in Canada.
The record is clear. The Government of Canada has been instrumental in the success of advancing renewable energy. In the fight against climate change, Canada is not acting alone but in full co-operation and coordination with other industrialized countries.