Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I want to speak specifically to the auto sector. I find it very interesting that yesterday the Government of British Columbia said it is going to follow the California standard for auto emissions, along with 10 northern states. What you're now seeing in North America is a very clear trend.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Sure. I'll draw the distinction between ambient air quality standards and emission standards. Ambient air quality standards—and in the way you're following the legislation, this would be in proposed section 103.07—set the standard of the air we breathe, in essence. We want a basic standard that meets human health and environmental criteria that ensure the ambient air around us is of a certain quality.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  This really is a climate change issue. The international air pollutants they're talking about are pollutants that cross an international boundary. So for the most part, that's going to be greenhouse gas emissions—

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  They could be created in Canada. In the context of this legislation, we're talking about regulating greenhouse gases that are emitted. I'll refer to legislative drafters, if they have a better interpretation of this, but I think what that section deals with is pollutants that cross international boundaries.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  No, I think you should look at both. I think if you look at the costs of urban air pollution, for example—and I'll let my colleagues who have an equally strong case to be made on climate change, on greenhouse gases—it's a no-brainer if you look at the costs of urban air pollution.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  If I can make a suggestion on this point, in my view, the issue of whether or not we're going to meet that level is really beyond the scope of this bill. I think whether or not we're going to meet our Kyoto obligations is an important question, but the purpose of Bill C-30 and the scope of Bill C-30 is to achieve the deepest domestic reductions that we can in this country.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Those would be exemptions granted by the minister.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last part.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I don't accept the dichotomy and I don't think Canadians accept the dichotomy. According to government estimates, 16,000 Canadians die each year from urban air pollution. Ontario Medical Association studies came up with similar estimates on the same scale. There are severe respiratory illness effects of air pollution that you heard about yesterday and have heard in various standing committees over the years.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I think that's a really key part of it. I think another part of it is that there is simply a right-to-know basis. I have a right to know whether the air I'm breathing meets a basic standard for human health and the environment. So I think it's a combination of both of those things.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  You would have a set of ambient air quality standards, so those would use the same type of measurement as do our current Canada-wide standards, although hopefully they'd be stronger than the CWS's. You would have ambient air quality standards and measuring stations in different parts of the country.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  We get air quality objectives, but there is nothing in the bill that talks about the enforcement of those objectives. There is nothing in the bill that talks about what kinds of emissions standards will go into meeting those objectives. So what we're in essence left with is some kind of statutory recognition of what will probably be something along the lines of the Canada-wide standards.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  We would certainly advocate that standards be reviewed every five years, both emission standards and ambient air quality standards, with a view to maintaining the leading standards globally, and certainly the leading standards in North America. Those would include provincial standards.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  The bill, in proposed section 103.07, which is on page 13 of the bill, sets air quality objectives within three years after the coming into force of the act.

Bill C-30 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  There are no compliance measures.