John Baird

[Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, June 19th, 2008]

I support this. I'm with you.

[Food Safety, June 18th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we are obviously very concerned about floods in southern British Columbia, but we will work to ensure that requirements of the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act are maintained.

However, I have a warning for the member for British Columbia Southern Interior. There is a flood coming to his constituency, like every constituency across this country, and it is disguised as a green tax shift. It is a massive tax grab to pay for a spree of wasted wild spending that the Liberal Party wants to go on. Please go back to your riding and warn Canadians about this coming disaster.

[The Environment, June 18th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for British Columbia Southern Interior. This is an issue with which all Canadians should be concerned. Obviously it has terrific impacts on his own constituency and in southern British Columbia.

Any dam that would result in mass flooding in southern British Columbia would obviously require the approval of this government, the Government of Canada, or the International Joint Commission.

I want to commit to the member that we will work with him and we will work with his community to ensure that the vested environmental interests and the quality of life for residents in his community are protected.

[The Environment, June 17th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we have invested millions of dollars both through regulation of industry and in government funds to support the fight on climate change.

I am surprised at the candidate from Guelph with respect to his desire not to support these industries. What I am excited about is the honesty of one of the Liberal members opposite. He wrote:

Ultimately, this added cost [the carbon tax proposed by the Liberals] will find its way into oil and plastic, transportation and food. In fact, most corners of our lives.

I cannot name the Liberal member, but I found it on a website called www.garth.ca.

[The Environment, June 17th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to doing the right thing. We have strong environmental statutes in this country. We are going to ensure that these rigorous standards are fully utilized to ensure we do the right thing for the environment.

What has gone on for far too long is uninhibited development up in the oil sands, which is why, for the first time in Canadian history, we are bringing in national regulations to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, something the previous government failed to do. We are also tackling the issue of smog and air quality, again, something that has lacked national leadership under successive Liberal governments.

[Canadian Heritage, June 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, it is impossible to say enough about our firefighters all across Canada. They do very important work for our communities and our country. I know that my colleague, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages has received an application. She will await the fine work that our public servants do to provide their views and work together with them on this matter.

[The Environment, June 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, last year the government announced a national air quality health index pilot project. This year we are taking it right across the country. We believe we have an important responsibility to inform Canadians and to help ensure that the air they breathe is of much better quality than it is now.

The response of stakeholders has been great. The Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Lung Association and the Heart and Stroke Foundation have said that our announcement is good news for Canadians.

[Firefighters, June 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we cannot do enough to honour the great contribution of firefighters and emergency personnel from right across the country. They do a great job in our communities and this government is committed in doing anything we can to help honour the great work they do for Canadians each and every day.

[The Environment, June 10th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the one thing that has become increasingly clear in this House of Commons is that the Liberal Party of Canada, its leader, and its environment critic are completely against tax cuts for middle class families in this country.

That is something those of us on this side of the House support. We want to support commuters to make the shift from cars to public transit and this is just one way we are helping to get the job done.

[The Environment, June 10th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker,--