House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 70% of the vote.
The Environment October 31st, 2006
Mr. Speaker, we will work with every province and territory on establishing short term targets, including the province of Quebec. My only concern was the fact that some provinces use voluntary targets. Obviously we will be working with every industry sector across this country because we are moving from voluntary targets to strict regulation.
The Environment October 31st, 2006
Mr. Speaker, I would point out to the hon. member that I believe the Liberal leadership candidate he is supporting has the same target that this government has adopted and that was recommended by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy.
I will also suggest to him that we will not do what the former government did and set arbitrary targets. We have given our word to the provinces and territories that we will work with them over the coming months and we will set short term targets in the very near future. I hope his party will work with us to make sure we can implement them.
The Environment October 31st, 2006
Mr. Speaker, that is rich coming from the party that has no plan on global warming.
The member opposite knows full well that the clean air act is made up of amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to strengthen it so that we can regulate every industry sector across this country, both for greenhouse gases and for air pollution.
I would encourage the member to work with us, to strengthen the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the other acts that we are looking to strengthen, and to support the clean air act.
The Environment October 31st, 2006
Mr. Speaker, our plan goes beyond Kyoto. Our government is the first one to have introduced a bill dealing with climate change and air quality.
Canadians and Quebeckers want to know why the Bloc is opposed to strict regulation of major industries in Quebec.
The Environment October 31st, 2006
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals know that the government is right, they use the same tactic: divide and conquer.
Our government is the first to have tabled a bill on climate change and air quality.
Canadians and Quebeckers want to know why the Liberals are opposed to strict regulation of major industries.
The Environment October 31st, 2006
Mr. Speaker, the opposition must know that the Clean Air Act is important for the protection of Canadians' and Quebeckers' health. In fact the Canadian Lung Association stated, and I quote:
The Lung Association is pleased to see indoor air quality regulated under the Act.
Could the opposition explain to the Canadian Lung Association, as well as to Canadians and Quebeckers suffering from lung cancer, why they are against this crucial legislation?
The Environment October 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with all members of this House on our new legislation that would regulate both greenhouse gases and pollution. It is what Canadians want and what Canadians deserve. If the NDP members have good ideas, I look forward to hearing from them.
The Environment October 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, what motivated us to take serious action was the call from Canadians. They were worried about smog days and about the increase in greenhouse gases by up to 35% under the former government, which is why we have already moved to regulate every industry sector across the country for both greenhouse gases and air pollution.
That is the kind of deliberate policy choice that will motivate change and the kinds of policy decisions that this report calls for.
The Environment October 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, the report stresses that there has been a lack of progress made worldwide on this issue. In fact, it is something our government has said clearly and repeatedly from the beginning that there has been a lack of progress in Canada under the previous government, particularly in relation to the Kyoto protocol.
The report also says that, “strong deliberate policy decisions need to be made to motivate change”.
What we need are regulations. We need to regulate industry to cut its pollution and its greenhouse gases, which is exactly what the government is doing.
The Environment October 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, as members know, we have introduced legislation that would apply to all the industry, including the electricity sector. We will be talking with the OPG, the Ontario Power Generation, about the concerns we have about not only the greenhouse gas emissions that they have but also the pollution issues coming out of the electricity sector.
I would encourage the hon. member to work with us and encourage Ontario to come to the table to support the new regulations we will be putting in place.