Environment committee  In the fall we will be looking at all the measures the government has said it would do to mitigate and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Environment committee  I can tell you that that the Auditor General feels very strongly that his act indicates that he has access to all information except cabinet confidences.

Environment committee  Because the Department of Finance didn't do a really good job at establishing what the population may or may not be, it's hard for me to tell you whether or not there's a lot of work to do on the tax side. On the non-tax side, it's clear that the government does not have a clear

Environment committee  The G20 commitment indicates that we are going to rationalize and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and take care of the poor while we do so. The sustainable development goal has a similar target.

Environment committee  What we said in our audit was that the government actually didn't define these things. This is part of the reason why I can't tell you if there's a lot of work to be done: because they haven't made these definitions. What does “poor” mean in the Canadian context? If we reduce an

Environment committee  It's up to each country to define it in their own context.

Environment committee  It's in our audit, it's true.

Environment committee  It's a tax credit.

Environment committee  Wow!

Environment committee  I agree. It is exactly for that reason that the Auditor General took this audit seriously. We really did not get the information that would allow us to give you the assurance that we are supposed to be able to give you. That's what my job requires of me: to do the work and tell y

Environment committee  No, not at this time.

Environment committee  Well, I could always do an audit on the price of carbon in the future. So I could give you that information if we decided to do an audit on the matter. Certainly, all your questions would go to the Department of Finance.

Environment committee  I can tell you that this committee passed a motion asking departments to come back one year after my reports are submitted to evaluate the progress that has been made. Here is how the process operates: I examine the commitments made by the government and I tell you whether or not

Environment committee  That said, it is really up to you to do the follow-up. I would encourage the Standing Committee on Public Accounts along those lines. I believe that the committee has already passed a motion to that effect.

Environment committee  No, I cannot, because no study comparing us to other countries has been done.