Rona Ambrose

[The Environment, May 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we made a positive investment in Canadians by encouraging Canadians to get out of their cars and into public transit and investing in new greener public transportation systems. We are giving Canadians the tools to clean up their own environment.

I would like to share what the mayor of Toronto said about our public transit passes, which is that it would be a very good thing as part of the transit strategy and it also includes funding.

We are happy today to tell the mayor of Toronto that yesterday we did a very good thing and introduced our transit pass and made a real investment in green transportation.

[Kyoto Protocol, May 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the only model I am interested in is one that benefits Canadians first. Under our made in Canada plan, Canadian taxpayer dollars will stay right here in Canada and will be spent on our own environment here at home. Our made in Canada plan will invest in Canadian solutions, Canadian technology and Canadian communities.

In our plan, Canadians come first. I would just like to tell the hon. member that my Canada also includes Quebec.

[Kyoto Protocol, May 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, our government made a clear commitment to invest in the Canadian environment right here at home. Our Prime Minister has shown the courage and the leadership to address this pressing issue with a strong commitment to a made in Canada plan to clean up Canada's environment.

We will continue to work with industry, the provinces, environmental groups and Canadians in the development of our plan to ensure that we can show real action on Canada's environment.

[The Environment, May 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to address the hon. member's concerns. I would like to let him know that during the election, when we announced our transit pass tax policy, the Sierra Club said, “I think it's a very good move on the Conservatives' part”.

The other thing I would like to remind the hon. member of, as he stands in his place as the Liberal Party of Canada environment critic, is he is on record as saying that the Kyoto agreement was basically written on the back of an airplane napkin on the way to Kyoto, and on December 10, he voted against Kyoto.

[The Environment, May 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member opposite might like to know that, under the Liberal Kyoto plan, Canadian families could have seen up to $600 per Canadian family shipped overseas to be spent on international credits. Under our made in Canada plan, Canadian taxpayer dollars will stay right here in Canada to be spent on our environment right here at home.

Our made in Canada plan will invest in Canadian solutions, Canadian technology and Canadian communities. I would like to ensure that the hon. member knows that in our plan, Canadians come first.

[The Environment, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, what I can say is that I will not commit to what the Liberals have done, which is nothing on this issue for the past 13 years. I was in the area and I met with the minister and the community and we are working on it together.

[The Environment, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that we are following very closely. We have been involved in the assessment. When I was in Atlantic Canada I met with the minister for the environment in this area and we are working very diligently on this issue.

[The Environment, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, we take our obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention very seriously. I understand those obligations. I am presently presiding as president of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. We are participating vigorously in that process to defend the interests of Canadians.

[The Environment, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, again I reiterate the government's commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gases and pollution that was outlined in the Speech from the Throne and will be a part of our environmental agenda as we move forward. I am very proud of that because in our environmental plan Canadians come first. We will be investing in Canadian technology and in Canadians, not in sending taxpayer money overseas to buy international credits.

[The Environment, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, we are making progress on our plan. We are working closely with both industry and the provinces, which are eager to make a change. The provinces have been very clear that they also do not support seeing taxpayer money go overseas under the former Liberal Kyoto plan. They want to see investment in Canadian provinces, in Canadian technology and in Canadians.