House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 70% of the vote.
The Environment May 31st, 2006
Mr. Speaker, what we do know clearly is that the Liberal Party of Canada turned its back on the Kyoto protocol without coming up with any plan. It did nothing to reduce greenhouse gases. Now it is criticizing another global movement to reduce greenhouse gases, which is the Asia-Pacific partnership.
I would like to ask the hon. member a question. Will he stand in his place and tell the House that he does not support another global effort to reduce greenhouse gases?
The Environment May 31st, 2006
Mr. Speaker, in fact, I have had three months to reflect. what I have decided, and what this government has always claimed to be true, is that we are focused not on what is happening in the U.S. Congress, not on what is good for the Americans but we are focused on what is good for Canada. We have developed a Canadian plan with Canadian priorities, investment in Canadian communities and Canadian technology.
Yesterday the western premiers endorsed our made in Canada plan. Canadians are supporting it, the United Nations is supporting it, our international partners are supporting it, and I expect the hon. member to support it.
The Environment May 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals signed the Kyoto accord with no plan to actually reach our targets. Up against the wall, the Liberals' only solution was to spend billions of dollars of Canadian taxpayers' money overseas.
Actually, the Liberal leadership candidate from Etobicoke—Lakeshore said, “We'll clean up Kazakhstan, but we won't clean up downtown Toronto”.
The Liberals did not keep their word to our international friends, but more important, they did not keep their promises to Canadians. Our new government has forged a new path forward for Canada, one that will return Canada to its rightful place as a world leader on the environment. In Bonn, we were supported by the United Nations, our international--
The Environment May 30th, 2006
--and billions of dollars in Canadian industry investments, and thousands and thousands of jobs being created in our Canadian economy.
The Environment May 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member is obsessed with what is happening in the U.S. Congress, but I am not. I am focused on Canadian solutions--
The Environment May 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, any action that our government takes is in the interest of Canada. We are putting forward a made in Canada solution that will spend money--
The Environment May 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for being appointed as environment critic and for endorsing our Conservative policy on transit passes.
However, I would like to point out to the hon. member that I am concerned about Canada. I am concerned about the priorities of the Canadian environment. Canada differs greatly from the U.S. in terms of the kinds of circumstances we need to address right here at home. I know he is obsessed with what the U.S. is doing, but I am focused on what Canada is doing to move forward.
The Environment May 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, I am not concerned with what is going on in the U.S. Congress--
The Environment May 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, the bottom line is that the Liberals did not do anything on Asia-Pacific and they did not do anything on Kyoto. Within the first 100 days, we have already done more than the Liberals did in 13 years.
We already have set a national target of 5% content in biofuels so Canadians can burn cleaner gas. We made the largest investment in public transportation in Canadian history and we want those buses burning clean biodiesel. On July 1, Canadians will be able to get almost two months of free public transit through our transit pass tax incentive. On June 1, we are setting in place regulations to reduce sulphur in diesel.
That is cleaning up the environment.
The Environment May 30th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting how the Liberals love to change the channel because they do not want to face the facts. They do not even know where they stand on Kyoto. They had a Liberal environment critic who was anti-Kyoto, but they switched him for a new Liberal environment critic, whom I would like to thank for endorsing, on his first day, Conservative policies for transit. The member for Don Valley West said that when we encouraged people to take public transit, we also reduced greenhouse gases. That is exactly what this government is doing.