The Environment  Mr. Speaker, the environment minister's uninformed testimony before committee yesterday suggests that the government believes that over the next five years making our businesses and homes more efficient will apparently cause economic collapse; that substantially increasing renewable energy power production in this country will cause economic collapse; and that investing in exciting new technologies and rapidly expanding international carbon markets will apparently cause economic collapse.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, should we be surprised? This is the Minister of the Environment who oversaw a 125% increase in CO2 emissions in Ontario in his time as Ontario energy minister. It is clear we have a second Conservative environment minister who is not only a defeatist but who also sees environmental concerns as an economic nuisance.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is a wonderful opportunity again for me to put questions to the government that were put to the Minister of the Environment an hour ago. Every question I will now put to the government remains unanswered because the minister refused to answer or could not answer them.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Government of Canada, first through its first Minister of the Environment, dispatched senior officials to a conference of the parties meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, to openly undermine the Kyoto treaty, this at a time when our country in the international community was actually chairing the entire international negotiation process.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it gives me a wonderful opportunity to remind Canadians that it was not our party that guaranteed wait times within its first term of office and has now backed off publicly. It was not our party that promised not to undermine all those who held income trusts. The Prime Minister of Canada gave three separate speeches when he promised Canadians that he would not wreck their savings.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak this morning to the motion put forward by our colleagues. I am pleased to rise in this House today to express my views on an issue as critical as the Kyoto protocol on climate change. First, I would like to thank all the Bloc and NDP members for supporting the motion tabled in the House last week by the leader of the official opposition.

Climate Change Accountability Act  Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to speak to the merits of Bill C-377, An Act to ensure Canada assumes its responsibilities in preventing dangerous climate change. This bill clearly deserves a careful examination on its merits. As I said moments ago, the sincerity of the member who is putting it forward I believe is beyond reproach.

Climate Change Accountability Act  Mr. Speaker, I will open by sharing the kind, gracious and gentle words that the member brought forward at the opening of his remarks with respect to the death of two senior captains, two firefighters who perished in Winnipeg. Our thoughts and prayers on this side of the House are also with their families and with those who were injured and their families.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I have a quick series of questions for the minister, and I thank him for his remarks although I disagree with them wholeheartedly. First, can the minister comment on former Prime Minister Joe Clark's comments as reported in the Montreal Gazette today? The report states explicitly that: He also cited the Harper government's repudiation of the Kyoto climate control treaty, signed by the previous Liberal administration--

Business of Supply  I did not refer to another member.

Business of Supply  Do you mean the former prime minister, Joe Clark?

Business of Supply  No.

Business of Supply  I will start again, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the correction. Let me ask the minister directly, quoting from the Montreal Gazette today. This is a comment that is attributed to the former prime minister of Canada, Joe Clark. It states: He also cited the Harper government's repudiation of the Kyoto--

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it states: He also cited the [new] government's repudiation of the Kyoto climate control treaty, signed by the previous Liberal administration. Former Prime Minister Joe Clark says: There is no question that it injured our international reputation. Can the minister please explain to Canadians why a former prime minister and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada would make such a statement?

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, to answer this question simply, I will quote former Prime Minister Joe Clark, who said just yesterday I believe: “There is no question that it injured our international reputation”, he said, when referring to the new minority government's repudiation of the Kyoto climate control treaty.