John Baird

[The Environment, December 3rd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we have received four reports from the United Nations that are the fruit of much work and great scientific cooperation. The reports mention that the planet has already warmed up by 0.6 ºC. That is why we must take action. We cannot wait for that number to increase to 2 ºC. It is time to take action right now.

For the first time, the Government of Canada is taking action. It is establishing regulations for industry and many other programs and initiatives. What is more, we have encouraged Quebec to take action as well.

[The Environment, December 3rd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we think it is mandatory for all wealthy countries like Canada, and the major emitters like China, India and the United States, to take action together. This is absolutely essential if we want to win the fight against global warming.

Our government is taking action. For 13 long years we saw absolutely no progress in this fight.

[The Environment, December 3rd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we think it is wrong to sign on to any accord that would see global emissions of greenhouse gases double by 2050.

Let us look at the deputy leader of the Liberal Party. He said, on May 23, 2006:

I think our party has got into a mess on the environment. As a practical matter of politics, nobody knows what (Kyoto) is or what it commits us to.

He also said, in a very celebrated exchange with his leader, “We didn't get it done”.

[The Environment, December 3rd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we are prepared to commit to binding targets in any forum around the world. We are committed to an absolute 20% reduction. We are prepared to make those numbers binding. But we also need other major countries in the world to act too. Yvo de Boer, the head of the United Nations effort in this regard, said just the other day, “To design a long term response to climate change that does not include the world's largest emitter and the world's largest economy just would not make any sense”. I agree.

[The Environment, December 3rd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, it is just a bit rich to have that member of Parliament, a former minister of the environment, the man whose own deputy leader said he did not get it done, lecture this government on targets. It is just a bit rich.

We are committed to real action in Canada, real action to reduce absolutely by 20% the greenhouse gas emissions in this country. We will succeed where the previous government failed.

[The Environment, December 3rd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the science is clear. We received four substantive reports from the United Nations panel this year; all are yet another stronger case and call to action.

We saw far too many reports and far too little action from the previous government. That is why we are going to take real action in Canada, an absolute 20% reduction by 2020. We are going to do something remarkable. We are actually going to call on all the other countries in the world to join Canada in taking real action.

[The Environment, December 3rd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, that is interesting coming from the man who oversaw a 32.9% increase above our targets in the last protocol.

The recent United Nations panel reports that have come out this year have pointed to a 0.6% increase in temperatures worldwide. That is far too much for this government. That is why we are committed to taking real action in Canada and real action around the world.

[The Environment, November 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the government is required to maintain the confidence of the House. We put forward our environmental program in the Speech from the Throne. That Speech from the Throne was adopted. Decisions in this country are made by those people who show up and vote.

I would concede that I am a little bit more careful about my travelling companions.

[The Environment, November 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been very clear. We laid out in very specific terms our position with respect to the environment and the need to work globally for a solution to climate change. We put it all in the Speech from the Throne and it was adopted by this House.

[The Environment, November 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we signalled this past April that large final emitters, the large polluters in Canada, are going to have to reduce their emissions by 6% a year for the first three years of our plan and then a constant 2% improvement. We are working aggressively on these measures, as I know industry is as well.