Yes, Mr. Speaker.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2004, with 35% of the vote.
Kyoto Protocol November 18th, 2002
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Kyoto Protocol November 8th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is doing exactly what those private forecasters were doing yet a year ago. They were saying that we could not possibly reach the figure but after 10 months into this year 459,000 new jobs were created in Canada. They thought it was impossible but this government did it. That is what they just do not understand.
He talks about not possibly reaching the figures that we have set forward. I assure him that when we put out figures like that, based on very careful analysis of the provinces, territories, ourselves and the private sector, we fully intend to reach them.
Kyoto Protocol November 8th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, when we are dealing with the future 10 years out, we try to give the very best economic information we can. However, as we discovered this year, the rate of growth of the Canadian economy was three times what the private sector told us it would be only a year ago.
We are doing so much better than the private sector forecasters expected that it is a little difficult to give the kind of precision 10 years hence that the hon. member is looking for.
Kyoto Protocol November 7th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, let me repeat again that we had a meeting with the provinces on October 28. They made some proposals to the draft plan that we put forward. These proposals are being considered. We are incorporating them into another document, the final plan, which will be presented sometime before November 21 so the provinces and territories can look at it before the meeting on November 21.
On the basis of that plan and of course a resolution of the House, the House will have a debate and will be called upon to vote on the issue so the Prime Minister has the guidance of all 300 other members of the House on whether or not he should ratify the Kyoto accord.
Kyoto Protocol November 7th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the hon. member on his election as vice-chair of the environment committee. It may be his only election win in recent months and it is important for him.
I would point out to him that the vote in the House will be the vote on ratification. A similar motion will be presented in the Senate. It will come before the House before the end of the year. As I was explaining to the Leader of the Opposition, it will come sometime following the meeting on November 21 with the provinces and territories.
Kyoto Protocol November 7th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, what we intend to do has been laid out a number of times. I will repeat it for the benefit of the hon. member.
We had a meeting on October 28 with the provinces. The meeting discussed a draft plan that we had put forward the previous week. We received comments from the provinces and territories. We are incorporating those comments into the draft plan that we put forward. On November 21 we will have another meeting with the provinces and territories on the plan, with their suggested improvements.
Kyoto Protocol November 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the University of Alberta is free to choose other members to sit with me on the panel if it so wishes. However I would point out to the hon. member, who seems quite uninformed as to the true facts of the situation, that we want to have some interaction with the public who are there as well. We do not simply want to have a debate on the stage and no answering of questions from the floor.
I am quite happy to go there provided the University of Alberta chooses some of those expert people that it has and who the Province of Alberta did not want to hear before it made up its mind on its own plan.
Kyoto Protocol November 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I spoke at the University of Calgary to a thousand Calgarians on the issue of climate change. They in turn had a provincial minister speak. It is perfectly acceptable.
I am looking forward at the University of Alberta in Edmonton to having the University of Alberta choose some of their top people, scientists, economists and others, so that we can indeed have the very balanced panel that he talks about.
I would point out to the hon. member that it is important in a province where medical health officers seem to lose their jobs if they speak out about Kyoto to ensure that it is clear that this is done without prejudice to those who might be on the stage with me.
Kyoto Protocol November 5th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, in a speech in the House on an opposition motion dealing with the issue of ratification of Kyoto, I pointed out to hon. members that we do have connection with labour unions and we will be forming a committee to look at any adjustments that may need to take place in the workforce. I have had discussions with my hon. colleague, the Minister of Human Resources Development, and we fully expect to be with labour, with the labour movement, to be on top of this issue as time goes on.
Kyoto Protocol November 4th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the principal issue that the hon. member has failed to grasp about climate change is that it is a global problem and it has to be dealt with on a global basis.
With respect to the meetings we have had with the provinces and territories, I believe we have had three this year with another to come. We had two or three last year. They are virtually continuous. In fact, we had one last year where less than half the provinces sent ministers because they complained we had had too many.