Peter Kent

[The Environment, September 20th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is aware, since we took power, Canada has created nearly 600,000 net new jobs.

I must say that while Nature is a worthy journal, the story to which she refers is completely without facts or science. We are not cutting any ozone-monitoring services or closing the World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre, which Canada has hosted for years. However, we are optimizing and streamlining the way we monitor and measure ozone, making the best use of taxpayers' dollars.

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 19th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the operating budget freeze at Environment Canada, in response to (a), the key driver of the cost containment measures is the operating budget freeze that was articulated in the 2010 federal budget tabled in the House of Commons on March 4, 2010.

Two significant actions were announced in the budget to reduce growth in operating expenditures: operating budgets will be capped at the 2010-11 levels for the two fiscal years, 2011-12 and 2012-13; any wage and salary increases set in the Expenditure Restraint Act and in collective agreements applying from the beginning of 2010-11 and until the end of 2012 13 are to be absorbed by organizations.

These measures apply to all federal organizations appropriated by Parliament including departments, agencies and crown corporations.

The following items are excluded from the freeze: economic action plan spending which ends in March 2011; budget 2010 measures not included in the main estimates 2010-11; new policy initiatives approved by cabinet; non-discretionary labour costs, such as parental benefits or severance pay.

There was no government-wide freeze on hiring.

Within this context, Environment Canada has taken the following measures to limit spending for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Impact of budget 2010 measures for 2010-11 fiscal year have been included in 2010-11 supplementary estimates (A or B). There are no budget 2010 measures in supplementary estimates (C); budget 2010 measures for 2011-12 have been included in the 2011-12 main estimates. Travel, conferences and hospitality are within 2008-09 levels as directed by budget 2009 and are monitored by monthly reports. Efficiencies in the procurement process have been implemented. Human resources allocation has been re-evaluated and optimized.

In response to (b), the transactional data available in Environment Canada’s human resources management system,HRMS, does not provide information on whether any employees separated from the department as a result of the operating budget freeze. In the course of normal operations, however, during fiscal year 2010-11, 582 full-time employees and 1127 part-time employees left Environment Canada.

In response to (c), from April 1, 2010, to March 31, 2011, one full-time employee was laid off at Environment Canada. No part-time employees were laid off. The one layoff was a result of a lack of work due to the sudden ending of a research project, but it was not as a result of the operating budget freeze.

In response to (d), from April 1, 2011, to March 31, 2011, Environment Canada hired 432 full-time employees and 1,031 part-time employees in the course of normal operations.

In response to (e), in the next five years, it is estimated that Environment Canada will lose between 550 and 600 full-time employees each year to attrition for various separation reasons in the course of normal operations. No projections are available for the attrition of part-time employees due to the transitory nature of the types of work involved.

[The Environment, September 19th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I must correct the hon. member's numbers.

There has been a great deal of misreporting and uninformed comment on this issue. There is a great difference between 776 permanent employees who might be affected, 300 positions which will be declared surplus, and the much smaller actual number of employees who may eventually be separated from the department. None of the core services of Environment Canada will be compromised. The environment remains—

[The Environment, September 19th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome my colleague's question.

We do have a plan, and our plan is working. As my colleague knows full well, we began with a sector-by-sector regulatory approach a year ago, starting with the transportation sector, which is the greatest emitter of greenhouse gases. I have just posted in Canada Gazette, part I, new regulations for the coal-fired electricity sector, and we will proceed sector by sector from here around the wheel of priorities.

[The Environment, June 20th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to our plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and hit our 2020 targets, we are on course and proceeding in that direction.

With regard to communications with Washington, that is a matter for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to communicate, where needed, with those who are under-informed or misinformed.

[The Environment, June 20th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I would refer my colleague to the case of Saskatchewan where, after a wise investment of $242 million and a pilot project on carbon capture, the Government of Saskatchewan found that, in fact, the technology does work and announced the investment of $1 billion into a carbon capture project.

[The Environment, June 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm for my hon. colleague that I have received a request from the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board to refer the project to a review. I will consider the facts and make a decision in due course.

[The Environment, June 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on her first question on the environment in this House. I hope that our ongoing dialogue will continue to be based on facts and science. The government is committed to ensuring—

[The Environment, June 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is still in the environmental weeds on this question.

As in previous years, our reporting is detailed and in full compliance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and it includes all emissions from the oil gas.

There are three energy categories that contain the oil sands gas: fossil fuel production and refining, mining and oil and gas extraction, and fugitive sources.

In response to queries, Environment Canada reduced a 6.5% estimate of those tonnages, which are in the United Nations report.

[Oil and Gas Industry, June 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, the principle responsibility rests with the provinces and the territories. The federal government has an interest and can involve itself when a threat is perceived and reported.

As my colleague knows, Environment Canada is responsible for regulating toxic substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and where required, we will intervene.