House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 45% of the vote.
The Environment March 10th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. We are taking real action, the toughest action ever taken in Canadian history. We have among the toughest industry regulations in the world.
I am starting to get the feeling that we are losing the confidence of the NDP. However, the good news is that it is nice to be able to count on the support of the Liberal Party of Canada.
The Environment March 10th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I do think it is a stain on the Government of Canada that the previous government was unable to not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but to sit back and watch them rise by some 33% above the commitments that it signed.
That is why the member will be excited to learn that we are moving aggressively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 17 sectors of the Canadian economy and mandating carbon capture and storage for new oil sands projects, something the previous government lacked the resolve to do.
The Environment March 10th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to tell the House that today we are releasing the meat to the bones of our regulatory plan. The details of our regulation will be posted on Environment Canada's website this afternoon.
We made a commitment to Canadians to cut greenhouse gases by an absolute 20%. We are following through on that commitment and we will be delivering real results.
The Environment March 7th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I have not had the opportunity to read the report from the Department of Natural Resources. It was scheduled to go out today. I understand someone got enthusiastic and put it out the night before. We welcome a discussion on the report in the future.
The member wants to bring down the government for our policies on the environment. That is wrong and it is misguided.
At times in my life, I have suffered from self-confidence issues, and it means so much to me to have the support of members of Liberal Party of Canada. They like me. They really like me.
The Environment March 7th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the environment commissioner's report emphasizes that it is very important to do more to clean up Canada's Great Lakes. We have to work harder on resolving the problems that were created by the previous government.
There is nothing the Bloc Québécois can do. The only thing it can do is talk. The only thing it has to offer to Quebeckers is a national conversation on the environment.
This party, this government, is getting things done.
The Environment March 7th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I was shocked when the Liberal Party of Canada had a member of its shadow cabinet come out and say it was okay to dump raw sewage into the Pacific Ocean. This is intolerable. It is wrong. It should not be happening in 2008.
We are committed to taking real action. We are coming forward with regulations to ban this practice so that we can protect our oceans.
While I am up, I want to condemn the NDP's non-confidence motion and say shame on those members, and I want to thank the Liberal Party of Canada for its confidence.
The Environment March 6th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, we have received a report from the environment commissioner, who did a great job. We fully accept the report. It is a follow-up report to reports that were issued by his office in the early 2000s. It is really a follow-up report to find out whether the Liberals were successful at cleaning up their mess.
The report is good in five areas and it shows we have progress in nine areas. We are committed to do something more than talk about it. We are taking real action: action to clean up our great lakes; action to protect species at risk; and action to protect habitat for our species at risk and wildlife in this country. We are committed to getting the job done.
Questions on the Order Paper March 5th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, at the fourth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, KP AWG, held on August 27 to 31, 2007, Canadian negotiators were guided by written instructions.
The information in these instructions outlined Canada’s position on issues under negotiation and set the parameters for what Canada sought to achieve at the meeting. For this meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, Canada’s instructions were developed through analysis and interdepartmental consultations and were approved by senior executives in both Environment Canada and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Canada’s general positions were described in an initial submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in May 2006 and a subsequent one in August 2007.
The instructions provided for the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol of the Framework Convention on Climate Change outline the government's position in respect of ongoing negotiations. As such, they cannot be released as doing so could be injurious to Canada's negotiating position and to its international relations.
Lake Simcoe February 27th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, we are tremendously concerned about Lake Simcoe. I was pleased recently to announce a further $18 million, bringing the total to $30 million to help clean up Lake Simcoe.
For 13 long years Lake Simcoe's health declined. Nothing was done. What did it take? It took five Conservative MPs and the money was there to get the job done.
The Environment February 27th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the budget contains a good number of initiatives to support our environment.
The Bloc Québécois will be voting against public transit measures for Montreal. It will be voting against the biggest expansion of carbon capture and storage in the world. It will be voting against federal tax treatment for environmental initiatives. It will be voting against a carbon market in Montreal.
That is how bad the Bloc Québécois is.