House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2019, with 55% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 15th, 2012
Madam Chair, there are not any short dollar figures that one can pull out of the air. We know that eventually we are looking at billions of dollars of impact as a result of climate change. The permafrost melt in the north alone is undermining highways, railroads, ports, commercial and governmental structures and all of these things. We know that there are some very real costs, some very significant costs, and we are addressing them.
Business of Supply May 15th, 2012
Madam Chair, yes, and there are any number of papers that have been done over the years by government bodies, by scientists within Environment Canada and by other public policy organizations. Those results are estimates, but they have been addressed by our policies, both with regard to mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and other emissions, as well as adaptation.
Business of Supply May 15th, 2012
Madam Chair, again I would correct my hon. colleague. What she is quoting are the draft regulations in Canada Gazette part I from almost a year ago. Since then, we have engaged in energetic consultation with industry and the provinces—
Business of Supply May 15th, 2012
Madam Chair, it would be completely improper for me to comment on this. We are about to publish Canada Gazette part II final regulations. The regulations will be market-moving data, and I would ask my hon. colleague to be patient for just a few more weeks.
Business of Supply May 15th, 2012
Madam Chair, as I have explained, we are in a sector-by-sector regulatory process. We addressed transportation, which accounts for almost one-quarter of our annual greenhouse gas emissions, with regulation of cars and light trucks, and now most recently, heavy trucks. I am about to bring final regulations down for the coal-fired electricity sector. We are in consultations with oil and gas and we will continue around that sector wheel.
Business of Supply May 15th, 2012
Madam Chair, as I explained in answer to the comment from the environment commissioner, it is premature to offer total costing of our sector-by-sector regulation process, simply because we are only partway through that process. We are engaged in consultations that will determine what many of those costs will eventually be.
Business of Supply May 15th, 2012
Madam Chair, as I have informed the House a number of times in the weeks since the environment commissioner tabled his report, his points of reference were almost a year out of date and did not take into account our latest report just a month ago with regard to the 2009-10 greenhouse gas inventory reports that showed a significant decrease.
Business of Supply May 15th, 2012
Madam Chair, from the moment our government assumed power in 2006, we made it quite clear that we would not embrace Kyoto, that we would abide by the reporting requirements of Kyoto. We embarked on a mission to achieve a global climate change initiative, which would include all major emitters. We are doing that through our compliance with Copenhagen.
Business of Supply May 15th, 2012
Madam Chair, I will take that request and I will provide that backup. That is not part of budget 2012, or our jobs, growth and prosperity act or the responsible resource development legislation that I assume we are here to talk about tonight.
I can provide that information to my colleague in the fullness of time.
Business of Supply May 15th, 2012
Madam Chair, that $14 billion of hard-earned Canadian tax dollars would be spent out of the country to buy hot air credits from depressed eastern European economies. It would do nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.