Rona Ambrose

[The Environment, October 20th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have waited long enough. They do not have to wait any more, because in the coming weeks and months we will reduce air pollution from snowmobiles and ATVs. We are introducing new regulations on heavy trucks, buses and forklifts. We are introducing new regulations to reduce pollution from consumer products, such as household cleaning items, cosmetics and paints, and new regulations to reduce pollution from the rail, shipping and aviation industry.

But the clean air act will take us further. For the first time, we will be able to tackle the important issue of indoor air quality. For the first time, we will have the power to set fuel efficiency standards in the auto--

[The Environment, October 20th, 2006]

Again, Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to share this detailed information with the hon. member, and it is based on the statistics that are used by the Canadian Urban Transit Association.

Also, I would be happy to share with her details about the over $100 million spent on programs overseas by the former government. We have said repeatedly that is not the way we think money should be spent. We think it should be spent here in Canada, which is why we introduced a piece of Canadian legislation to reduce greenhouse gases. That is the most serious way that we can show Canadians we care about the environment.

[The Environment, October 20th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I have here the statistics used by experts in my department, based on the Canadian Urban Transit Association estimates, based on taking 1.6 billion urban transit rides a year. It is very complicated. It is related to megatonnes, tonnes of GHGs per car ride.

The reason we asked the department to put it into terminology that Canadians can understand, which is taking cars off the road, is because it is a difficult thing to communicate when we are talking about megatonnes, but this is accurate. I would be happy to table it and share it with the hon. member.

[The Environment, October 20th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it is too bad that the member is against clean air for Canadians, because what Canadians want to hear is what the executive director of the Clean Air Foundation said, which was, “I am pleased that the clean air act will permit for the first time the regulation of products and appliances that have significant impacts on indoor and outdoor air quality”.

How about what the Canadian Medical Association said? It was that “the government appears to be on the right track” by “recognizing and targeting the role of clean air” to ensure good health.

How about the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association? It said that this “is a vital step” toward fulfilling our commitment to renewable content--

[The Environment, October 20th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that this government does not govern on headlines. Let me talk about the content of our clean air bill.

This will be the first time in Canadian history that the Government of Canada will actually regulate every industry sector across this country for air pollution and greenhouse gases.

It will be the first time in Canadian history that we set national air quality health objectives.

It will be the first time that we regulate the auto sector for fuel efficiency standards.

It will be the first time that we will be accountable to Canadians through an annual report on air quality and accountable to regulate products that create emissions, such wood stoves that pollute our environment.

I would like to ask the hon. member, does--

[The Environment, October 20th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the work that we do with the Government of Quebec on this file. The Government of Quebec has introduced a very good environmental plan. It is not in law yet.

Yesterday we introduced a piece of legislation that will have repercussions in every industry sector, every province and every territory across this country, including Quebec.

We look forward to working with the Government of Quebec to ensure that there is no duplication in terms of the legislation that it hopes to bring in one day on the environment. I look forward to my continued work with Quebec.

[The Environment, October 20th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, we have put in place a target of up to 65% absolute emissions reduction by 2050.

We will also be negotiating over the next four months with every province and territory and industry sector short term targets to be put in place by spring.

The difference is that we have given our word to the provinces and territories, including Quebec, and every industry sector that we will set those targets with them, not arbitrarily like the former government, without any economic analysis or any environmental analysis. We will do it together.

[Point of Order, October 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what happened over here but I would like to point out that the member for Bourassa, who raised this question, at one point called me a name, a sexist comment saying that I was merely a pretty picture vase sitting at the front of the entrance to a home.

It has been a number of months, but I am glad he raised this issue because it has always bothered me, so I would like an apology from him today for that.

[The Environment, October 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, again the member has his facts wrong. We regulate greenhouse gases in this country, which is what we announced this morning. The United States does not, from a national perspective.

Again, the member knows full well that every industry sector across the country will be regulated with hard caps on pollution, including the oil sector.

[The Environment, October 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about regulations that will come into force in the next few weeks and the next few months, regulations to reduce pollution from big equipment in construction, regulations to reduce pollution from outboards, ATVs and snowmobiles, heavy trucks, school buses and forklifts, and to reduce pollution from consumer products in things like paints, cosmetics and cleaning products.

All of these things have an impact to improve the health of Canadians. That is what Canada's clean air act does. That is the action we introduced this morning. That is what this member should support.