Catherine McKenna

[The Environment, December 1st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Canada absolutely supports conservation of the habitat of the porcupine caribou herd and is opposed to any development of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We certainly oppose opening these areas to resource development. I have been very clear in my discussions with the U.S. administration, as has our entire government.

We recently hosted an event at our embassy in Washington, D.C., where a united Canadian position, consisting of the federal, tribal, and territorial governments, jointly discussed the importance of the porcupine caribou herd for the Gwich'in peoples and other indigenous peoples in Yukon and the Northwest Territories and our clear opposition to development in critical habitat areas like the Arctic refuge and the 1002 Area.

[Natural Resources, November 24th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his advocacy on behalf of Nunavummiuts. We know that northerners are on the front lines of climate change. I saw this directly when I was in the high Arctic this summer. I heard of Inuit hunters falling through the ice because they can no longer tell the thickness of the ice.

Our climate plan understands that we need to be working with northerners, that we need to develop unique situations. We are committed to working with our partners in the north on carbon pricing, and I am happy to say that we are sharing results of a study that we conducted right now—

[The Environment, November 24th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member opposite for his advocacy on parks and protected areas. We understand the importance of protecting Wood Buffalo National Park and we welcome the review by UNESCO. We are working very hard, including with the indigenous communities within the park, and we will continue to do so.

[The Environment, November 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member opposite that we care greatly about the environment, that we are concerned about this incident, that Parks Canada is involved with the cleanup, and that we will continue to work very hard to ensure that we protect our oceans.

As members know, we have our oceans protection plan. We are absolutely committed to protecting our oceans and protecting the environment.

[Questions on the Order Paper, November 20th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, since 2011, Environment and Climate Change Canada has been implementing its policy on drinking water that ensures employees have access to a potable drinking water source at all times. In line with the policy, all supplemental water use (e.g., water bottles, water coolers, and water filtration systems) was eliminated in buildings where water has been tested and meets drinking water guidelines. Environment and Climate Change Canada avoids the use of bottled water as much as possible in order to avoid unnecessary waste.

The departmental financial system does not have specific line object coding to track costs related to bottled water. Therefore, Environment and Climate Change Canada is unable to respond to Q-1211 (a) and (b).

[Foreign Affairs, November 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I have worked as a human rights lawyer. I absolutely agree. I am disgusted by the current regime in Syria, and the atrocities it is committing are completely inexcusable. A mistake was made. I take full responsibility as minister. We deleted the tweet within half an hour, and on my personal Twitter account, I said that it was unacceptable.

We are going to continue working with the people of Syria. They deserve a life free from violence. Canada will continue to support the Syrian people in reaching this goal, and achieving a long-term political solution.

[The Environment, November 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we are all in when it comes to climate action. We understand that we need to be taking action, that we have an economic opportunity to do this, and that we have an obligation to our children.

I am very pleased that I will be in Bonn next week where I will be working with countries around the world. We know we need to be helping support the poorest countries that are fearing the impacts of climate change, and many countries will be under water should we not stay under 2°C. We will be supporting them and we will be working with them.

I wish the party opposite would understand how important it is to listen and take action against climate change.

[The Environment, November 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. We are certainly committed to combatting climate change.

I was so proud to see the Prime Minister announce our plan with the provincial premiers and territorial representatives. Under this plan, we will put a price on carbon, eliminate coal, and make historic investments in clean infrastructure and public transportation.

I am very pleased to go to Bonn next week, where I will work with the whole world to combat climate change. We have a lot of work to do.

[The Environment, November 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians love our national parks and national heritage places, and we saw that clearly this year with record attendance at our parks and historic places with free entry for Canada 150.

On Friday, October 27, I was extremely pleased to be joined by the member for Kelowna—Lake Country as Canada, British Columbia, and representatives of the southern communities of the Syilx Okanagan Nation announced a renewed commitment to move forward together to establish a new national park reserve in the south Okanagan. After many years, we are pleased to be moving forward to protect this iconic place, and I want to thank the member for his help.

[Questions on the Order Paper, October 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this government has demonstrated its clear commitment to openness and transparency. We believe in evidence-based policy-making and meaningful consultation with Canadians.

Meetings with key stakeholders and experts help to inform the policy development process. For a listing of lobbyist interactions, please visit the Registry of Lobbyists, which is the central source of information about individuals, not-for-profit organizations, and for-profit corporations that lobby the federal government. It can be found at https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/clntSmmrySrch?lang=eng.