Stephen Harper

[The Environment, January 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois leader is illustrating what is different with our government. The difference is that the Minister of Natural Resources announced new funding for the capture and sequestration of the carbon released by the production of oil from the tar sands. When it comes to the environment, our government is doing its job.

[The Environment, January 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that the Bloc Québécois leader is referring to a program that aired on Radio-Canada, where it was said that this government had organized a meeting with American and Canadian oil companies. We know that this meeting was organized by the former government.

It is important that the House of Commons does not become a free zone open to speculation.

[The Environment, January 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the only one denying anything is the leader of the Liberal Party, who is denying his environmental record. The conference and the plan he launched were all talk no action. The former Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development commented that the measures contained in his plan were insufficient to meet Kyoto requirements. He had a job to do with respect to the environment and he did not do it.

[The Environment, January 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, once again the Leader of the Opposition talks about coming up with a half-baked plan in 2005. He signed the Kyoto accord in 1997. Why did it take him eight years to come up with a plan that did not get the job done? It is because he did not do it.

[The Environment, January 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the only person in the House of Commons denying something is the leader of the Liberal Party who is denying his own record on the environment.

The fact of the matter is that the programs the hon. member cites, as the Minister of Natural Resources said yesterday, the Liberal Party actually never got around to delivering on those either, as it did not with so many things. In fact, the former commissioner of the environment said that his plan was “not up to the task of meeting the Kyoto obligations”.

[The Environment, January 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I can just mention that this government has recently put $230 million into clean technology with the ecoenergy technology initiative, $1.5 billion for the ecoenergy renewable initiative for renewable energy technologies, $300 million for the ecoenergy efficiency initiative, and $30 million to help protect the Great Bear Rainforest. These announcements were all well received by Canadians, by stakeholders, and this government will continue to act.

[The Environment, January 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, our government has already taken urgent action regarding climate change through our ecoenergy initiatives, the development of renewable fuels and also, as I just mentioned, the investments we made in public transit in our first budget.

We are taking action and we hope the House will help us do our job.

[Aerospace Industry, January 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, Boeing is the only company in the world with a certain type of large aircraft.

I can say with certainty that Quebec and the other regions will derive benefits. Should the Bloc Québécois achieve its goals of separation, however, I can assure the hon. member that the benefits to Quebec will be nil.

[Aerospace Industry, January 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, this government intends to rebuild the Canadian Forces. We are in the process of negotiating contracts for several types of equipment for the armed forces.

Our government intends to secure benefits for every part of Canada. It does not intend, however, to interfere in the contract award process, which is based on the contractors and their relationships within the industry.

[The Environment, January 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government did not create any initiatives to implement the Kyoto protocol, nothing at all. This government, on the other hand, was the first to introduce clean air legislation, which the Liberal Party is trying to block in committee. The leader of the Liberal Party had his chance for 10 years, but he did not take it.