John Baird

[The Environment, February 26th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I can give the member a number of quotes. I can give quotes from Sheila Copps, from Christine Stewart and from David Anderson, who all said that the previous government did not do anything to fight global warming. I can quote the deputy leader of the member's own party who said that they did not get the job done.

The single person who has broken the biggest environmental promise in the history of Canada is not a member of the federal Liberal Party. It is the member's brother, Dalton McGuinty, who failed to close Ontario's four coal fired plants as he promised to do, another McGuinty broken promise.

[The Environment, February 26th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the member for his commitment to the quality of the Great Lakes. We think this important scientific report should be made available to all Canadians. It should be made available so that we can continue our work to clean up the Great Lakes.

We have been in contact with the U.S. government and have asked it to immediately release this report. We think it is the right thing to do. We are finally acting on getting the Great Lakes cleaned up, something that for 13 long years never happened under the previous government.

[The Environment, February 26th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, our plan of course includes a carbon exchange. We are working out the details. We need to have national figures for reducing greenhouse gases. We can see that since the creation of the Bloc, 18 years ago, this has never been done here in the House of Commons in Ottawa. Our government is taking action. When it comes to greenhouse gas reductions, we will get real results for all regions and all Canadians and for the world.

[The Environment, February 26th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I find it very interesting that the Bloc critic is telling us that our targets are too tough or that they go too far. Our international plan would regulate large companies. These reductions are binding and absolute. We must reduce greenhouse gases. In the 18 years that the Bloc has been in the House of Commons, nothing has been done on the national level. Now, we are taking action.

[The Environment, February 25th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, all the questions I have received have come from the government caucus.

Last week, the government issued a notice of its intention to regulate phosphates. Our measures will reduce their concentration to 0.5%. We are working very hard and in close cooperation with my colleague in Quebec, Ms. Beauchamp, as well as the minister in Manitoba, Christine Melnick.

This is another good example of the open federalism practised by this government. We are working in partnership with the provinces and achieving real results for our environment.

[The Environment, February 14th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell the member for Simcoe North that finally the government is beginning to act, something that had never happened in the 10 long years since Kyoto was signed, with more money for public transit and a tax credit for commuters to encourage them to use public transit, also something that has never happened before.

Now we are going to do something remarkable. We are actually bringing in mandatory emission standards for automobiles, not weak voluntary measures but real mandatory measures, something that will help deliver real results in fighting climate change. This government is acting and getting the job done.

[The Environment, February 14th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I have to give it to the NDP member, he has a lot of nerve. He was the NDP member who stood in his place and voted for the Liberal budget not three years ago, a budget that gave specific targeted tax cuts, to whom? Big oil. That member has a lot of explaining to do.

[The Environment, February 14th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I have bad news for the NDP member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley. He voted against $93 million to help clean up our Great Lakes. He voted against $30 million to clean up Hamilton harbour, something that the Liberal government never did. He voted against $11 million to clean up contaminated sediment that poses a risk within the Great Lakes. He voted against the Great Lakes sustainability fund. He voted against protecting over 10,000 square miles of Lake Superior, something that had never been done in this country.

We are delivering despite the rabid opposition of the NDP and that member.

[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, February 13th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move, seconded by the hon. member for Skeena--Bulkley Valley:

That this House recognizes and honours the great contribution to science and the fight against climate change by the Canadian scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change who were awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.

[The Environment, February 12th, 2008]

It voted no. That is terrible.