Mr. Speaker, in 1987, Canada took a leadership role at the Vienna Convention, which phased out ozone destroying CFCs. Studies show that without it most of the ozone layer would have been destroyed by 2065, a catastrophe.
This week, the ninth meeting of parties to the Vienna Convention is being held in Bali, Indonesia. Our commitments to ozone monitoring and science will be questioned, given that Environment Canada's ozone scientists have received letters saying that their positions are in jeopardy.
Next week is the Durban climate change conference. The International Energy Agency says that rising fossil fuel energy use will lead to irreversible and potentially catastrophic climate change.
Will the government remember that we have a moral obligation to our children and grandchildren and honour it by meeting scientifically defensible greenhouse gas targets?
We are thankful for the action the world took in 1987 and we need to be similarly courageous now.