Environment committee  Allow me to say ditto to my colleague's comments. I would add that recognition of the primary sectors and the role they can play in harnessing this carbon atom on a domestic scale in order to address a world problem will come through proper policy.

Environment committee  It should not tax my agricultural sector at any further level than we're already experiencing, because I have no room to move.

Environment committee  Let me refer to the Province of Ontario, where a green energy act was just introduced that has put feed-in tariff statements in place for various levels, whether biomass, biogas, wind, solar, or hydro power connections. I would stress that's not a form of taxation; I would say it

Environment committee  Canada is predominantly an exporting nation in food production and everything else. What I cannot bear is further increases in my costs that I cannot offset in another direction. When it comes to what China and India may choose to do on a political front, Copenhagen is going to a

Environment committee  My understanding today of the use of international credits is that Canada would limit the amount that would be allowed for compliance within a domestic system. At this point in time, I have to agree with the concept of looking internally, because if I were, for example, Shell or

Environment committee  You are putting words in my mouth, sir. What I'm saying is that we need, first of all, for agriculture to be recognized for credit creation in Copenhagen. We're not there yet.

Environment committee  I believe we can look at Alberta, where the offsets were generated by the private sector in response to a government regulation imposed on certain regulated industries. They went looking for them; the private sector responded. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has sa

Environment committee  The first thing I just want to refute, even though he's a good colleague here from the forest sector, is that in agriculture we don't have any waste; we just have underutilized, underpriced opportunities, and so does he. Moving to the Alberta system, the Alberta legislation, I b

Environment committee  I would refer the committee to the national inventory for the absolute figures because I do not have them in front of me today. But my personal reaction to this is that we've been holding our own. Contrary to the comment I just heard about a 23% increase in greenhouse gas emiss

Environment committee  I want the opportunity to participate in reaching a target that has finally been set, that is clearly defined, and that provides agriculture the opportunity to be an offset provider to a target with clear rules, such that we can introduce market mechanisms to meet that target and

Environment committee  When I am not regulated and therefore am not directly impacted by that target, it's very easy for me to offer a statement to that effect. But I will tell you directly that when you regulate the other sectors, I'm going to feel it, and therefore if you offer me policy direction

Environment committee  That would be a statement that applies probably in the broader sense than toward this particular issue before us. But at this point we just need a proper playing field, so I know where to turn to offer Canadians what I can do.

Environment committee  Thank you.

Environment committee  I believe a check of the national inventory by Environment Canada will illustrate that we've essentially been holding our own in emissions levels across this country, but I immediately would then factor in the increased production that we have put out underneath that same level o

Environment committee  I would argue that we are already living that dream, and it's a nightmare on this side of the border because the offset support system that's required for Canada needs to take into credit early action and it needs to recognize what's going on. I've already entered into testimony