Jonathan Wilkinson

[Carbon Pricing, June 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect us to grow our economy and protect the environment for our children and our grandchildren. They know that a thoughtful climate plan includes regulatory measures, significant investments in clean technology and infrastructure, and a price on pollution to incent efficiency and grow the economy. As we saw in the Ontario election, 60% of Ontario voters supported parties that approved carbon pricing.

We will continue to take practical cost-effective measures to tackle climate change and grow a clean economy. That is what Canadians expect us to do. I ask again ask Leader of the Opposition, through you, Mr. Speaker, where is your climate plan?

[Carbon Pricing, June 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we are very fortunate to have provincial and territorial leaders from coast to coast to coast who are taking serious action on climate change. Four provinces already price carbon pollution, and they led the country in growth last year.

As the Premier of Manitoba said on Friday, his government is moving ahead with putting a price on pollution because he knows it will “help the environment without hurting the economy.”

Doing our part to address climate change should not be a partisan issue. As Canadians, we all have a responsibility to take action to protect the environment and grow the economy for our children and our grandchildren.

[Carbon Pricing, June 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our government was elected on a platform to invest in Canadians, stimulate the economy, and protect the environment. Our plan is working. Canada's emissions are going down and our economy is growing.

Since we formed the government, Canadians have created 60% more full-time jobs than Stephen Harper's Conservatives did during the same period. We also have the strongest economic growth in the G7. Our plan is working.

[Carbon Pricing, June 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our government was elected on a platform to invest in Canadians, to grow the economy, and to protect the environment. Our plan is working. Canada's emissions are dropping, and our economy is growing. Since we formed government, hard-working Canadians have created 60% more full-time jobs than the Harper Conservatives did over the same period. We are leading all G7 countries in economic growth.

Addressing climate change in a substantive way is something all Canadians expect. It is something we must do for our children. We are doing it in a thoughtful way, and we are growing our economy at the same time.

[Carbon Pricing, June 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect us to be thoughtful about how we grow our economy and how we actually address the threat of climate change. They know that a thoughtful climate plan needs to include a range of measures, some of them regulatory, such as the phase-out of coal and methane emissions, and investments in clean technology and investments in infrastructure, but a thoughtful plan also includes a price on carbon pollution.

We will continue to take practical, cost-effective measures to tackle climate change. That is what Canadians expect us to do. The question I have for the leader of the opposition is, where is your climate plan?

[The Environment, June 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the Trans Mountain project, which will provide significant economic benefits to all Canadians, was approved by the federal government, by the Province of B.C., and by the Province of Alberta after a thorough review of all key environmental issues.

The decision includes 157 conditions associated with the construction of the pipeline. It includes incorporating the emissions in the pan-Canadian framework, it includes an oceans protection plan, and it includes a range of measures to ensure that the pipeline construction is done safely and in accordance with the ecological integrity of Canada's national parks. It is a decision that was taken after a review and after addressing all of the key environmental concerns, and it is a project that is in the national interest.

[The Environment, June 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my colleague, the member for Pontiac, for his question and his hard work.

Our government is committed to protecting our environment and preserving our waterways so that all Canadians can continue to benefit from them. That is why Canada will be taking steps during its G7 presidency this year and in the coming years to prevent plastics from ending up in our oceans, our waterways, and our landfills.

[Carbon Pricing, June 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, climate change is real. Climate change requires that we actually come up with thoughtful and substantive ways to address the issue. It involves thinking about the economy of the future and driving innovation. It looks at the key measures and the most significant and cost-effective measures to actually reduce that. One of those is putting a price on carbon pollution.

I know that on that side of the House, members were not in favour of learning based on data and science over the past 10 years when they were in government, but a price on carbon pollution has been demonstrated internationally as one of the most effective and low-cost ways to address the carbon issue.

[Carbon Pricing, June 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said on a number of occasions, Canadians expect their government to address climate change in thoughtful and substantive ways. That means ensuring that we have a comprehensive plan, one that addresses regulatory issues, such as accelerating the phase-out of coal, reducing methane emissions, making major investments in green infrastructure, and investments to stimulate the growth of clean technology in this country. It also includes putting a price on pollution to ensure that we are trying to address what we do not want and accelerating the innovation that we do. We are focused on ensuring a balanced approach that will drive economic growth going forward but will also enable us to reduce greenhouse—

[Carbon Pricing, June 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want their government to address the climate issue in thoughtful ways. They want to ensure that we are addressing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with our international commitments, and they want us to do that in ways that ensure that we grow an economy that will ensure prosperity for Canadians in the future.

That is what the pan-Canadian framework is about that we negotiated with the provinces and territories. It is a comprehensive approach that will drive growth going forward and will allow us to address climate change.