Mr. Speaker, I am pursuing a question I originally asked on November 5. The budget was tabled November 4, and I asked the Liberals if they were prepared to consider amendments or changes to the budget. As we know, they did change the budget, but not in any normal way that we have seen in the past. I will get back to the question and the matter that I hope to take up tonight.
Just to recap, on November 4, the budget included, on page 348, a commitment that fossil fuel subsidies would not be available for something called “enhanced oil recovery”. That was a part of the budget I actually liked and did not want changed, but within 10 days, it was reversed in agreement with Madam Smith of Alberta, and they are now available. It was not what I was trying to get to in my question to the government about changing a budget. In the first few days after it was tabled, there were changes made that I thought would move us closer to consensus.
The answer from the hon. leader of the government in the House, who also happens to be Minister of Transport, is what I wanted to take up further this evening. In his response, he said that the government was making historical investments in climate competitiveness and that it would get Canada to net zero by 2050. He said, “compare us to any country around the world”. He said it is a historic effort and historic budget. We have heard the platitudes.
In the time I have tonight, I just want to make a couple of quick points. Other than the aforementioned betrayal on the budget from page 348, which was reversed in the MOU with Alberta, there is a lot of misunderstanding about this notion of net zero by 2050. As someone who has worked on climate issues for quite a long time, it is important that every member of Parliament understand that, what we committed to as a country in the Paris Agreement, which is a legally binding commitment, is to stay as far below 2°C as possible.
Now that becomes impossible if we focus on something not in the Paris Agreement, which is this notion of a deadline in the year 2050 of being at net zero. It is very clear from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that we must rapidly reduce emissions by 2030, or 2035 at the latest, to have any hope of staying below 2°C at all, much less as far below 2°C as possible.
It is also the case that when the hon. leader of the government in the House asked me to compare our record to any other country around the world, we compare very poorly. Of all the G7 countries, we are the only country that has such a high level. Emissions have grown more rapidly in Canada since 1990 than in any other G7 country. Our emissions are far above our 1990 levels, whereas all the countries in the European Union, as a block, are 40% below their 1990 levels of emissions. We can look at some of the other countries around the world, smaller developing countries such as Costa Rica, that have done an enormous amount to reduce emissions. Canada does not look good compared to many countries around the world.
When we look at our budget and recognize that a budget is the single most important environmental statement made by a government, this budget, unfortunately, despite promises on the floor of this place, has come in at an F, and we are failing. I hope, in the time we have for debate, we can take up these matters based on facts and science.