Environment committee   to know is that even though Treasury Board now is working on this framework--and you will remember that Treasury Board came here and talked about the RMAF, the framework for the pilot on climate change, to develop this framework on horizontal issues. The reality is still that even

Environment committee  There was some economic analysis, but it was not detailed. We couldn't find any social, environmental, and risk analysis linked to this. Climate change is not only about the environment, it's also about sustainable development; it's about our way of living, because it's linked

Environment committee   question to start out. In your chapter 5, I believe it is, on environmental petitions, you said that “Since 2001, climate change and air quality issues have been referenced increasingly in environmental petitions received by the Auditor General of Canada.” So those are the issues

Environment committee  My colleague was saying earlier that we will revisit the smog issue for next year's report. We have looked here and there at some air quality issues, but not as we did for climate change, with one focus and covering the broader aspects of it. But as Richard is involved

Environment committee  I appreciate that. Could we pass on, then, to the climate change issue? I just wanted a general answer. But that is coming.

Environment committee   and accountability are fundamental in all policy areas and are especially crucial elements of complex, horizontal, long-term files like climate change. You then have bullet points: establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and authority for all federal departments and agencies

Environment committee   at seriously, I will probably be here again five years from now and have an almost cut-and-paste copy of this section. I also would like to remind you that in 1998 we looked at climate change and almost said the same thing. So things have not evolved that much in terms of good governance

Environment committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Commissioner, I thank you and your team for coming. The Prime Minister recently said, shortly before your report was published, that climate change should be taken with a grain of salt. He added that if we are unable to predict the temperatures

Environment committee  I will give you a very quick answer. If I may, I will then ask my colleagues to tell you what we based our comments on. We take for granted that the government has recognized the scientific analyses conducted, namely by the United Nations' committee on climate change, as well

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  I repeat, it is not my job to set the government's priorities. I understand that climate change is a priority for the federal government. I have reported on the progress made so far.

Environment committee  Are you not concerned about the fact that climate change is not one of the government's five priorities?

Environment committee  I think the results achieved so far are disturbing. If climate change remains a priority for Canada, it is disturbing that we do not have a much more aggressive and rigorous approach in order to move from slowing down emissions to actually reducing green house gas emissions

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

Environment committee  We often talk about the cost of inaction. It is true that inaction does involve a cost. However, in the course of our work, we saw no studies that provided any information on the cost of adaptation and the consequences of climate change, for example. This information