Environment committee  The system clearly has to be managed properly and seriously. I'm glad to hear you talk about the importance of taking action against climate change. In fact, the committee will be debating some motions I provided notice of last week. One of them pertains to the official opposition's absence from the delegation Canada is sending to the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Lima.

Environment committee  What was really important about the way that scientists were talking about this herd being in decline is they said that it was factors like strain on the habitat and climate change that were an issue, not the hunt, because the hunt was being managed. It wasn't over-hunting. There was a comment earlier that hunters know. The hunt was being managed very well. This herd is very unlikely to sustain sport hunting ever again.

Environment committee  Ultimately, the food availability and the conditions that the birds receive when they come back to Canada are going to be dependent on a great number of factors, as the commissioner has said, and it is possible that climate change and the timing of migratory return could affect food availability. We are looking at that, but for the moment they remain hypotheses, and they are currently the subject of a number of studies, including the points you raise, but we don't have definitive answers right now.

Environment committee  Okay. What role does climate change play in the destruction of natural habitats?

Environment committee  According to them, when migratory birds return to Canada, the insects are not yet out because of climate change. As a result, the birds have nothing to eat, and that leads to a decline in their numbers. That's one scientific theory, but I am not sure whether it has been proven. There is another explanation.

Environment committee  I went over Canada's Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which covers a number of interesting topics such as the change in the Arctic ecosystems, acidification of lakes, habitat loss, climate change, biological diversity, vulnerability, adaptation, and so on. As commissioner, have you ever audited the work Environment Canada has done to reach the targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity?

Environment committee  Yes, sure. That would be great. Is the department conducting any studies on the impact of climate change on the management of contaminated sites or on the impact of climate change on environmental liability?

Environment committee  Okay. One of the big problems in the whole Sahtu region is climate change. I believe that in Canada, this region, the Mackenzie Valley, is impacted the most by climate change. Scientists report losses of up to 40% of the permafrost in that area. Does Parks Canada have a clear understanding of the significant changes that are taking place in the ecosystem there?

Environment committee  Climate change is still a major concern for the department and for me, personally. Of course, we are continuing to take part in negotiations to obtain a global agreement in Paris that will promote global progress in fighting climate change.

Environment committee  You had the opportunity to testify before the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development in 2007, 2008 and 2009. You were even Canada's chief negotiator and ambassador for climate change for the negotiations leading up to the Copenhagen climate conference. Could you tell us about your experience that will help you fill this role, including your experience in the fight against climate change?

Environment committee  That is important, in a sense, because of the relationship between the two environmental issues of climate change, on the one hand, and ozone depletion on the other hand. The committee members will be aware that the Montreal protocol is a very successful international agreement that addresses ozone depletion.

Environment committee  But don't you think that a regulation should have an environmental result? Again, your words are “to fight climate change”. I'm asking you what a successful fight against climate change would look like. What will we end up with? A reduction in CO2 is not a result, it is a means to an end. What's the end?

Environment committee  In your recommendation to consider the changing environmental conditions, is it safe to assume that those implicitly include ice levels that are changing because of climate change and the impacts of that climate change? Do the environmental conditions include those?

Environment committee  You made a statement about the federal government not doing enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and “fight climate change”. In Canada what would a successful fight against climate change look like?

Environment committee  I'm correct, I think, when I say your audit around marine navigation did not in any way touch on climate change and the impact climate change would have. I don't think that was part of the mandate of your audit.