House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2008, with 57% of the vote.
St. Lawrence Action Plan April 1st, 2010
Mr. Speaker, revitalizing the St. Lawrence is a priority of our government. That is why we have invested $75 million in it over the past five years. We are proud of the results and proud of having decontaminated sector 103 of the Montreal harbour. The time has now come to set new priorities for the next five years. I hope I can count on the support of the Bloc Québécois.
The Environment April 1st, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I have read and examined Mr. Schindler's report with some care. I have had discussions with our officials about it and we will continue to pursue it.
With respect to the Fisheries Act, Environment Canada, along with the regulatory agencies of the Government of Alberta, continue to ensure that the highest possible environmental standards are pursued relative to emissions relative to the Athabasca River.
I did not take Mr. Schindler's allegations to relate to emissions but rather to airborne emissions as opposed to Fisheries Act issues.
The Environment April 1st, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I would not agree that the allegations were incontrovertible but they certainly were serious allegations.
I can assure the hon. member that the Government of Canada and Environment Canada rigorously administer all of our environmental laws relative to regulations relating to the oil sands.
Let us be perfectly clear. We continue to support development of the oil sands in an environmentally responsible manner. We will continue to work with the Alberta government to ensure that it is developed in a responsible manner and that we live up to our objective to be a clean energy superpower.
The Environment March 29th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I hope my hon. friend is not now proposing a tax on water. I know the Liberals would tax everything else that is possible.
Why did my hon. colleague not appear to be supportive this past weekend of the regulations that this government has brought in to deal with the discharge of municipal sewage into our natural water system? We have been pursuing these regulations for a generation in this country. They would apply to some 4,000 municipal waste water facilities across the country. I ask my hon. colleague to support these efforts.
The Environment March 29th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I welcome my hon. colleague back from the thinking, taxing and spending conference he took part in on the weekend. I am given to believe, from what I read in the newspaper, that when that many Liberals get together it is, undoubtedly, a taxing experience, and so it seems.
The hon. member knows that we are opposed to any bulk water exports, and our position on that is quite clear. There is an extensive layer of provincial regulations in place right now that deal with this issue. I would encourage my friend to be supportive of the government's efforts.
The Environment March 25th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, today, that is not the case. Once again the Bloc Québécois missed one of today's top stories. According to the Pew report, Canada ranked sixth in terms of its clean energy investment when compared to GDP in 2009.
Canada is ahead of the United States, which ranked 11th with an investment of $11 billion in clean energy since 2008. The Bloc should applaud our efforts.
The Environment March 25th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, it seems a little early for my hon. colleague to have decided on the merits of the project, given that no application has yet been filed. That is commensurate, I suppose, with that party's approach on matters like the budget.
Nonetheless, we have appointed a review panel that consists of three of the most respected people in our country: Sheila Leggett, who is a sitting member of the National Energy Board, one of the most respected regulators in the country; Hans Matthews, a first nations citizen and an experienced geologist, as I recall; and Kenneth Bateman, a lawyer and also an experienced member of the National Energy Board. They will do a fine job of ensuring a comprehensive environmental review.
The Environment March 25th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, this is an important Canadian project. We have put in place a high-calibre regulatory review that is commensurate with the importance of the project to ensure the environment is protected.
I can advise my colleague that I, along with the chair of the National Energy Board, created a panel approximately a year ago that consists of three respected Canadians: Sheila Leggett, Hans Matthews, who is himself a member of a first nation, and Kenneth Bateman. Following public consultation, the terms of reference have been defined. They include consideration of all the marine safety issues the hon. member raises.
The government will continue to ensure a comprehensive regulatory review process.
The Environment March 24th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, there certainly is much to be done in terms of conservation. That is why this government has in fact expanded Canada's national parks footprint by 30% over the past four years. That is why we have invested over the duration of the government close to $1 billion with conservation groups. That is why we will in fact carry on with the Atlantic coastal action program after due consideration of where those dollars will be invested, with which organizations and what kind of results Canadians are seeing.
The Environment March 24th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, my colleague is not correct in suggesting the funding has been terminated.
We value the working relationship we have with the Atlantic coastal action program. Last year, Environment Canada participated, as I recall, in some 59 different projects; that means approximately $1.2 million. These are grants and contributions from the Government of Canada.
When I was last in Nova Scotia and announced consideration of Sable Island as a national park, some questions were brought to my attention by members of the public about how the dollars within that program were allocated, which organizations they were allocated to and whether we were achieving results. Since that time, I have been carefully scrutinizing this program.