Carbon Pricing  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Yorkton—Melville for her question, both in question period previously and again today. I want to correct the record. I know the member has indicated on a number of occasions during her remarks that there is some kind of exemption for big business.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his hard work and tireless advocacy to help protect our climate. Economists are virtually unanimous that the best thing we can be doing to transition to a low-carbon economy is to put a price on pollution that will bring emissions down and put more money in the pockets of Canadian families.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, we all know that we campaigned in the last election on a commitment to protect our environment and grow the economy at the same time. That includes steps that are going to get our resources to new markets so that our provinces in the western part of our country do not take a haircut on their resources.

The Environment  Madam Speaker, our country is strongly committed to collaborating with the Philippines government to resolve this issue and is aware of the court decision ordering the importer to ship the material back to Canada. Currently, a joint technical working group is being established, consisting of officials from both countries, to examine the full spectrum of issues related to the removal of the waste.

Carbon Pricing  Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Pontiac for his advocacy on the climate and environment files over these past few years. The fact is that climate change is real, and we have an opportunity and an obligation to do something about it. The opposition has been spending a lot of time misleading Canadians about our climate plan, because, quite frankly, it does not have one of its own to talk about.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure and a privilege to rise to discuss this important private member's motion, brought forward by my colleague, the member for Sydney—Victoria. The moral measure of any government is how its society treats its most vulnerable people, its children, its elderly, its poor and its sick.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the hon. member for Sydney—Victoria who I know has been extraordinarily committed to this cause for some time. I have a constituent, who the House will hear more about later during my remarks, who has been personally affected by this issue.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that our government is taking the threat posed by climate change extraordinarily seriously because we know it is the fight of our times. In particular, we have made the largest investment in public transit in the history of our country. By 2030, 90% of our electricity is going to be generated by renewable resources.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for the level of discourse that she brings to the House. She was always a pleasure to chat with when we previously worked together on committee. However, when it comes to the effectiveness of these measures, every climate economist who has looked at this has suggested that this is the most effective tool we have.

Business of Supply  The short answer, Madam Speaker, is no. The somewhat longer but still short answer is that every leading climate economist who has looked at this issue has disagreed with that point of view. We have talked to people who have won Nobel Prizes, who have chaired the Federal Reserve in the United States, and political leaders from both sides of the aisle in Canada.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I know the hon. member is committed to the cause of doing something meaningful on climate change, and I have had a few conversations with him on that topic. Before I address the real crux of his question, when it comes to big emitters, there is a point that needs to be made.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I not only agree with the analysis but I would suggest that it is indisputable. It is in the report he mentioned. For the record, the Fraser Institute has no connection to me being a Fraser as well. I would like to distance myself from it as far as humanly possible.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, as a starting point, there is a helpful fact that we need to understand. There are only a few provinces where our price on pollution applies. Nova Scotia is not one of them. The provincial government took a leadership role and established its own pricing system, the cap and trade system, so it does not necessarily even apply in Nova Scotia.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the Canada I think most of us envision is one that is prosperous, socially just and environmentally healthy. The motion on the floor of the House today, in a sometimes roundabout way, touches on a number of these themes. However, there is an additional theme it touches on as well, perhaps unwittingly, which is the importance of truth in our political discourse.

Carbon Pricing  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is putting forward figures that have no basis in reality in order to scare Canadians against taking action on climate change. The fact is that we have the answer on what we can do and that answer includes putting a price on pollution that will bring our emissions down and make life more affordable.