Environment committee  It's somewhat technical, but as you know, the previous government was in a position to assess all climate change programs. This review enabled us to determine to what extent the programs would go forward. The $34.5 million and the amounts that were allocated to the climate change programs were approved by the current government.

Environment committee  Basia Ruta has already expressed most of what I would have added, but perhaps I can emphasize the fact that in terms of climate change programming government-wide, while Environment Canada certainly does provide some of the science activity and science analysis related to that, the department also tends to play a significant role in terms of broad policy coordination.

Environment committee  If I then look at the four strategic outcomes of the department and their associated expenditures, I come to the fourth strategic outcome, which is, “The impacts of climate change on Canada are reduced.” And I see that we're spending only 2.5% of the program budget of the department. There seems to be a dissonance, if I may say so, between the declared strategic outcome....

Environment committee  Quite frankly, with such a critical issue facing Canadians today—and that is, of climate change and increasing pollution—there simply must be a minister who is willing to answer questions of their colleagues, answer questions of Canadians, and put forward a reliable climate change plan.

Environment committee  You could have a solution for air pollution that doesn't fix climate change--for example, scrubbers on power plants, which take out sulphur, but they don't take out carbon dioxide.

Environment committee  The environment commissioner clearly stated, on page 27 of chapter 1 of her report on climate change, that the benefits of emission trading have been demonstrated. As recently as yesterday, the chairman of the Montreal Climate Exchange said he was encouraged by your statements suggesting that you may want to create an emission trading exchange in Canada.

Environment committee  The government often talks about the costs, sometimes astronomical, for setting up an effective climate change program. It always comes back to the issue of money, to the fact that this is expensive. In your opinion and that of the members of your team, is there not also a huge cost involved in not dealing with climate change?

Environment committee  You have made some suggestions for the future, but if the government were to develop a made-in Canada plan containing all the points I mentioned earlier, such as air quality, smog, climate change, and so on, will that be enough, or do you think it should be a specific climate change program?

Environment committee  Thank you. We hear a lot of talk about smog, air quality and climate change. They are all important considerations. In specific terms, how important is the effort to counter climate change? Do you think the government should consider this a priority?

Environment committee  Combating climate change must happen first within the federal family. It does not involve just two departments. It involves a concerted effort from the part of all departments. Mr. Bigras was asking me a question earlier about the relationship between the provinces and the federal government.

Environment committee  We take for granted that the government has recognized the scientific analyses conducted, namely by the United Nations' committee on climate change, as well as other scientific reports that are based on decisions made by Canada to reduce greenhouse gases. I take that as a given. I do not challenge science. I am not a scientist, and I am not an expert in the science of climate change as long as the government, on the whole, recognizes that the problem exists and bases its position on scientific facts, I will act accordingly.

Environment committee  The section you are referring to is entitled “Integrate energy and climate change”. In our audit, it became clear, quite quickly, that economic development was increasing, as was consumption and energy production, and that in this context, climate change was at stake.

Environment committee  What drives road vehicle transportation in Canada and the United States? I would submit, from an energy efficiency or climate change perspective, it's the rather disastrous policies on urban planning.

Environment committee  But it could be at around $20 and ratcheted up, with fairly clear signals as to the extent to which you're going to be ratcheting it up over the next decade or two. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that carbon capture and storage will start becoming a feasible option, from a price signal perspective, if you start going above $30 to $35. For me, that's the bellwether mark, getting it to $30 to $35, and then incrementally raising it thereafter.

Environment committee  I was always involved before, for quite a while, with the Government of Canada and with the climate change issue itself, and I've become more and more conversant with the energy issues. I have to say--and this is by no means unique to Canada--that it's a remarkably parochial industry, and that's one of the really unfortunate hurdles.