Catherine McKenna

[The Environment, October 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Lac-Saint-Louis for his question and the members of his youth council for stepping up and tackling one of the biggest challenges of our time, plastic pollution.

Our oceans and lakes are literally choking in plastic pollution. If we do not take action now, we will have more plastics by weight in our oceans than fish. We know we need to take action. We stepped up at the G7. We have countries and businesses that have stepped up to sign our oceans plastics charter. We have also committed to eliminating single-use plastics in government operations. We are investing in innovation. We are developing a national zero waste strategy. We owe it to our kids.

[Carbon Pricing, October 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it seems only a Conservative would believe that we cannot tackle climate change and grow the economy. When are the Conservatives going to get with the program that we can grow the economy, that we can create good jobs, that we can invest in innovation and we can have innovation here creating solutions that we can export abroad, creating good jobs. At the same time we can ensure a more sustainable future for our kids.

We are going to continue doing what Canadians expect: grow our economy, tackle climate change, protect our environment and create good jobs for Canadians.

[Carbon Pricing, October 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, do you know what failure is? Failure is not recognizing that there is a cost to climate change and we are paying it right now. Do members know what failure is? Failure is not recognizing a $26-trillion opportunity.

We are not going to fail. We are going to continue growing our economy. We have created more than 500,000 jobs. We have the fastest-growing economy in the G7, and our emissions are going down. We can do both. I only wish the party opposite would recognize that climate change is real and—

[Carbon Pricing, October 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, do you know what failure is? Failure is not recognizing that there is a price on pollution—

[Carbon Pricing, October 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we have a plan to protect our environment and to take action against climate change. Why is that? It is because Canadians expect it. They voted us in to grow the economy and tackle climate change.

Unfortunately, the members of the party opposite do not get it. They are back in the Harper era where they think they cannot grow the economy and protect the environment.

We are going to do both. We are going to continue acting. We are going to recognize there is a cost to pollution. We are going to continue creating jobs and growing our economy.

[Carbon Pricing, October 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am so excited to hear members from the party on the other side actually talk about targets, actually talk about climate change. Maybe they should accept that pollution is not free, that there is a cost, and actually we are seeing the cost from coast to coast to coast with extreme weather events. There is also a $26-trillion opportunity, so I cannot wait to see the Conservative Party's plan to tackle climate change, to meet the Paris agreement and to put a price on pollution.

[The Environment, October 2nd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we thank the commissioner for her report and we accept her recommendations. Our government is committed to protecting Canadians and their environment against toxic substances. We are already taking action to strengthen and enforce our regulations on toxic substances. We will develop an action plan with the Minister of Health to address the specific problems described in the report.

[The Environment, September 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear that we believe our scientists should be out there. They should be talking about the science, and we need to hear their voices. I have always been clear about that in my portfolio with Parks Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

I will continue to say that scientists should speak out about science. We need to make decisions based on science, and that is what our government believes and is acting on.

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 17th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), Environment and Climate Change Canada routinely conducts emission testing on a sample of on-road and off-road vehicles and engines offered for sale in Canada to verify compliance with applicable emission regulations. This testing is conducted in coordination with the U.S. EPA to help broaden the scope of our coverage and maximize efficiencies in the administration of our respective programs. Various diesel vehicles offered for sale in Canada are being tested as part of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s usual compliance verification testing program. Additionally, the Government expanded its on-going collaborative work with its U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess vehicles for the potential presence of defeat devices and other compliance issues.

Environment and Climate Change Canada continues to investigate the potential illegal importation into Canada of certain Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche vehicle models equipped with a prohibited defeat device. Environment and Climate Change Canada also launched a separate inquiry into the sale in Canada of 2015 Volkswagen models that received an EPA-approved partial fix following the receipt of an application made pursuant to section 17 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

With regard to (b), this information is not reported to Environment and Climate Change Canada as part of its role of administering the federal vehicle emission regulations.

With regard to (c), Environment and Climate Change Canada has been tracking the quantity of vehicles repaired by Volkswagen Group Canada Inc. authorized dealers through voluntary notices of defect filed under section 157 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. To date, over 19,000 vehicles have been reported to Environment and Climate Change Canada. This includes cases of owners electing to have their vehicle repaired and of owners electing to return vehicles to the company. Volkswagen has informed the department of its intention to resell vehicles that have been returned and repaired.

With regard to (d), the value is not reported to Environment and Climate Change Canada as part of the regulatory reporting process described in question (c).

With regard to (e), the value is not reported to Environment and Climate Change Canada as part of the regulatory reporting process described in question (c); therefore, GST/HST cannot be determined by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

With regard to (f), Environment and Climate Change Canada neither administers nor regulates the GST or federal portion of the HST and is therefore not in a position to comment.

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 17th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Parks Canada takes the protection of national parks and national marine conservation areas very seriously, including pollution from marine debris. Materials such as plastic in oceans are always a concern, as they can entangle marine wildlife, impact habitat and be ingested as food, among other concerns.

The amount of plastic pollution, waste and other debris in Canada’s national parks and national marine conservation areas varies widely by site, ranging from microplastics and plastic bags to lost fishing gear and marine debris from lost shipping containers. The amount that accumulates at different sites often depends on the character of the shoreline, currents and tides. Parks Canada has both a comprehensive ecological monitoring program that tracks the health of ecosystems, as well as an incident management system to track and respond to a wide variety of incidents, including pollution events. There is not, however, a national database to track marine debris and plastic pollution.

When marine incidents occur within the boundaries of national parks and national marine conservation areas, Parks Canada’s first action is to report the incident to relevant parties, such as the Canadian Coast Guard, affected first nations and other stakeholders. An action plan is developed to clean up the debris, reduce threats to ecosystems and minimize risks to public health and safety. Removal operations often involve specialized skills and equipment, such as helicopters and barges; at different stages, partners and local volunteers also provide assistance. Parks Canada will conduct an investigation to determine if charges should be laid and seek damages when warranted. This can result in polluters funding clean-up efforts, as was the case with the Hanjin container spill of 2016.

Parks Canada works with coastal communities and other organizations on regular beach clean-ups, e.g., the great Canadian shoreline cleanup. These initiatives not only help clean up coastal areas, but also generate awareness among visitors and other participants of the threat of pollution and marine debris, and ways to achieve zero plastic waste and reduce marine litter.

Most marine debris originates offshore from unknown sources, so there is limited ability to manage this issue except by removing it when it appears. Regulations apply, such as those under the Canada Shipping Act, which prevent the disposal of waste or debris from vessels, and aid the management of marine pollution and debris in both national parks and national marine conservation areas. Parks Canada is working together with other federal departments to co-ordinate efforts to address the ongoing issue of marine debris and to strengthen partnerships with indigenous partners, communities and provincial governments.

Across Canada, Parks Canada facilities offer recycling and waste disposal. The agency also provides comprehensive pre-trip messages to visitors regarding appropriate behaviour and to enlist the support of campers to “keep campsite clean” and “pack it in, pack it out”. Parks Canada has a national policy in place to prevent littering, which is enforced through the national parks general regulations, section 31.

Marine debris is an ever-present issue in the management of protected marine environments. Parks Canada will soon be consulting the public on a new management plan for the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in the year ahead. We welcome the public’s input on this plan, including the development of a formal protocol for responding to marine debris within the park reserve boundaries.

Parks Canada contributes to the implementation of the greening government strategy through its 2017-2020 departmental sustainable development strategy. The government aims to reduce the environmental impact of waste by diverting at least 75 percent by weight of all non-hazardous operational waste by 2030; diverting at least 90 percent by weight of all construction and demolition waste and striving to achieve 100 percent by 2030; and minimizing environmentally harmful and hazardous chemicals and materials used and disposed of in real property operations.

The greening government strategy is updated every three years.