Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, this is an excellent question. Bill C-30, which was originally introduced by the Conservatives, did not contain anything for the short term. There were no objectives, no mechanisms, no timetables, nothing. Having been amended by opposition parties, it is totally acceptable and is an excellent tool to fight climate changes today.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I wish to remind or, perhaps, inform my colleague that it was the Liberal government that signed and ratified the Kyoto protocol. Moreover, we had a green program worth $10 billion, and more money was to come. However, a new government was elected. We know what we had.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I should indicate that I will be sharing my time with the member for Don Valley West. I am pleased to rise today to take part in this important debate on one of the most fundamental issues we are facing today, which is the protection of our environment and the future of our children.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, a former federal minister of the environment is today the Prime Minister of Quebec, and that man is Jean Charest. Yesterday, Mr. Charest commented on the Minister of the Environment's campaign of fear stating: “If we do not implement Kyoto, it will cost us dearly”.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, the government can muddy the waters all it wants, but the fact remains that the emperor has no clothes. Jean Charest is contradicting the minister and Quebec's minister of the environment goes so far as to say that he is fearmongering. Furthermore, we have learned that the Minister of the Environment chose to set aside the opinions of experts who did not share his views.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, it was a difficult day for the Minister of the Environment, who appeared before the Senate committee with only one thing in mind: spreading fear among Canadians. Except that when he brought out an incomplete report based on partial information, he instead discredited himself before the members of the committee, and before all Canadians.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, he has already been told, he can wear green ties all he wants, but we will no longer trust him, and even less so after this morning. This morning, he resorted to fear, the weapon of the weak, the weapon used in the fight against acid rain and CFCs. We won those fights and the Canadian economy is still standing.

Public Works and Government Services  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Works is preparing to award a $400 million contract to a former client of his and the government says that there is no conflict of interest here. Incredible. The unelected Minister of Public Works holds shares in a firm considered a strategic partner of the company that will get the contract.

Public Works and Government Services  Mr. Speaker, the minister is pretty far away from here and does not have a chance very often to come and see us. Maybe that is why he has not had an opportunity yet to tell his colleagues and his parliamentary secretary in particular that he is up to his eyeballs in conflict of interest.

Minister of Public Works and Government Services  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services is at it again. He knows the rules: public servants must “avoid or withdraw from activities or situations, including procurement actions, that would place the public servant in real, potential or apparent conflict of interest—”.

Minister of Public Works and Government Services  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, who does not report to this House, believes that his appointment to the Senate allows him to circumvent the rules. It is clear now that the new Public Service Integrity Office must open an inquiry into this matter, without delay.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, just because he is speaking does not mean that he has something to say. The Prime Minister fought all attempts by both Houses to take concrete action on climate change. He refuses to make any announcements about his plan for tackling global warming. Why? Because he does not have one.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, for weeks the Prime Minister has been saying that he will soon announce his so-called made in Canada plan for greenhouse gas emissions, including all of the targets, but Canadians are still waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Even more disturbing is the fact that the government kept its plan secret and refused to include it as part of the rewrite of Bill C-30.

Minister of Finance  Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks, we have witnessed a flood of prebudget spending on the part of the government: money handed out right and left with no financial framework and no long term vision, in other words, spending to buy votes. When he was the Ontario Minister of Finance, the current federal minister said that everything was fine in the province.

Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, a Senate report has warned us that the Olympic Games may be an embarrassment for Canada in terms of the use of French. The Commissioner of Official Languages tells us that the CRTC is not meeting its obligations in respect of official languages, and the Minister of National Defence does not even believe in bilingualism in the armed forces.