Mark Warawa

[The Environment, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the environment minister and the Prime Minister are committed to realistic solutions, not phony public relations stunts.

Canada is committed to working with all its international partners to develop a more effective global approach for the future. That is why the minister is in Bonn.

To have credibility on the world stage, it is important that we work together to clean up our own backyard first. That is the focus of this government. We want clean air, clean water and clean soil that will benefit Canadians first and also will benefit the global community.

[The Environment, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is honouring our international commitment. Our environment minister is president of the UN Conference of the Parties. The minister is in Bonn right now and is doing a great job.

As this House well knows, greenhouse gas emissions have risen dramatically over the last 13 years and pollution is affecting the health of Canadians. We must develop a realistic and effective approach to clean up the air that Canadians breathe and to reduce greenhouse gases.

[Petitions, May 12th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition with 56 signatures from parents in Ontario asking for medical treatment for their autistic children. They are also asking that there be the creation of academic chairs at universities in each province to teach treatment for autism.

[The Environment, May 12th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and again, this is the party that is going to show action and achievable results on the environment. We will be supporting effective programs. We will not be supporting Liberal programs that did not work.

[The Environment, May 12th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I find it very ironic that it is this party that is working hard on providing clean air, clean land and clean water. It is that party over there that for 13 years had an opportunity to clean up pollution and it did absolutely nothing. This party, this Prime Minister, and this environment minister are working hard. We will keep our promises. We will be accountable.

[The Environment, May 12th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the government is turning over a new leaf on the environment with a commitment to Canadians that the money for the environment will be spent on the Canadian environment. The government will work in collaboration with the provinces and territories, and that includes Quebec, to move toward a 5% average renewable content in Canadian fuels. It is a good idea. It is one positive step.

We all need to work together to clean up Canada.

[The Environment, May 12th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a signatory to 59 international agreements on greenhouse gases and the environment. Kyoto is one of those agreements.

Canada will develop a realistic and effective approach to reducing greenhouse gases. I hope the Bloc will be part of that. We need to work together to clean up Canada.

[The Environment, May 12th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the minister, the Prime Minister and this party are committed to clean air and a clean air act and a cleaning up of Canada.

On numerous occasions I have approached the Bloc party and the critic asking for input on Kyoto, on climate change and on clean air. Time and time again that party has refused to work with us. We need to take this seriously. I am open to the Bloc to deal with clean air.

[Business of Supply, May 11th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I hope the member was listening to my speech. It was very thorough in that we are committed to the protocol but we are looking for things that are effective. We have had 13 years of a government that did nothing.

Now we have a government that is going to do something, but it would be foolhardy to make announcements within weeks of becoming government. We need to consult. I have actually consulted with members of that party.

I also have offered to consult with members of the Bloc. Unfortunately, the Bloc does not want to talk about the issues. That party likes to bring motions such as this to the table, but those members have refused to talk to me in my role as parliamentary secretary. I want to work with the Bloc.

One of the comments made by one of the Bloc members was that they want us to show initiative. The Bloc wants us to show inclusion and vision. We are attempting to do that. We want to consult with them. We want to consult with every member and we want to consult internationally so that we have a made in Canada program that works for all Canadians and we will actually be world leaders when it comes to the environment.

[Business of Supply, May 11th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the member used the adjectives “mean-spirited” and “unconscionable”.

The environment is incredibly important to this government and to Canadians. When we went knocking on doors a few months ago, that was one of the top issues. That is why we have an environment minister who is acting. She has been crossing the country. She has been listening to international partners to find a made in Canada approach that works.

NRC has done an evaluation of which programs worked and which did not. That is ongoing. EnerGuide was deemed to be not effective. Yes, Canadians need to take responsibility to make sure their homes are running as efficiently as possible. We all can take action. There is information out there. Unfortunately, that program was seen to be not particularly effective. We need to have programs that are effective.

We need to have clean air so that Canadians are healthy. I take allergy shots because of the pollution levels in the air, and I am not the only one. The health of many Canadians is seriously affected because of the quality of our air. We each have a responsibility to make sure that these dollars, and they are not my dollars nor the dollars of other members, are spent wisely. There are only so many dollars.

At the environment committee yesterday concerns were raised. An NGO asked if we had enough dollars to meet the targets. The answer was yes we do. We need to streamline. We need to focus on what is working. We need to focus on what works and make it work and make Canada healthier and cleaner. It is not dollars. It is efficiency. We need to protect the health of Canadians.