11/05/2006 - I’m proud
to rise in the house today to speak on such an
important issue as the Canadian environment. I
am proud to be a member of a Government that is
facing our challenges on the environment head
on and finding solutions that deliver tangible
results and put Canadians first.
Earlier today, the Government of Canada submitted
two sets of documents to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• The first set is Canada’s
2004 Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
• The second set includes two submissions that
are part of Canada’s new input into the global
dialogue on future international cooperation on
climate change.
What does our 2004 GHG inventory say? According
to the 2004 inventory, Canadian emissions were
almost 35% above the Kyoto target negotiated by
the Liberals.
The numbers say it: we have inherited a situation
that makes the Kyoto target unachievable. Why
is it unachievable? Let me spell it out.
In 2004, our emissions were
195 Mt above our Kyoto target. How much is 195
Mt? It’s the equivalent of more than all our transportation
emissions – i.e., all the emissions from every
car, truck, plane and train in Canada. We would
have to pull every truck and car off the street,
shut down every train and ground every plane to
reach the Kyoto target negotiated by the Liberals.
Or we could shut all the lights
off in Canada tomorrow – but that still wouldn’t
be enough – to reach our Kyoto target we’d have
to shut off all the lights AND shut down the entire
agriculture industry.
Or instead we could shut down every individual
Canadian household, not once, not twice, not three
times, but FOUR times over to meet the Kyoto target
the Liberals negotiated for Canada.
Or, we could do what the Liberals
thought was the answer faced with the realization
that the target they negotiated meant shutting
down Canada’s economy – spend the money overseas
buying international credits – the Liberals had
set aside up to $600 dollars per Canadian household
to be sent overseas in order to help reach the
Kyoto target they negotiated for Canada.
Let’s be clear – many Canadians
predicted at the time that the targets the Liberals
negotiated were unrealistic and voiced concerns
that a proper implementation plan needed to come
first. But politics got ahead of good policy and
the Liberals negotiated a target without a plan
to get there first.
So we cannot meet the Kyoto
target negotiated by the Liberals. But that does
not mean we give up the fight – we are committed
to real progress on cleaning up Canada’s environment
and on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions -
to face the challenge before us in an open and
transparent way and develop realistic and reachable
goals to reduce pollution and greenhouse gases.
We are turning a new leaf on
the environment – with a commitment to Canadians
that all money for the environment will be spent
on the Canadian environment. We will not send
Canadian taxpayers’ dollars overseas to buy credits.
These are billions of dollars that can be invested
in Canada to help reduce pollution and greenhouse
gases. To build greener infrastructure, develop
new technologies and make Canada more efficient
and economically competitive.
In our initiatives, Canadians
always come first.
To that effect, our government
is focused on “Made-in-Canada” solutions that
are inclusive and results-oriented. We will respect
the particular needs and circumstances of each
of our country’s provinces and territories – but
always insist that our initiatives have direct
benefits to Canadians and the Canadian environment.
We want to see tangible benefits where it matters
most – in Canadian communities.
Our first focus is on domestic action to ensure
that Canadians can enjoy clean air, clean water,
clean land, clean and secure energy, and healthy
communities.
We have already begun with an
investment in “Made-in-Canada” solutions that
deliver real environmental and health benefits
to Canadians by investing in new, greener, cleaner
transportation and incentives to get Canadians
out of their cars and into public transit – this
is important because transportation is one of
the highest contributors to pollution and greenhouse
gases – in Quebec, transportation is the highest
cause of greenhouse gases.
Very shortly, we will be sitting
down for the first time ever in this country’s
history with the provinces to launch our way forward
to a national renewable fuels strategy – which
will see real, tangible benefits to the environment
and economic benefits to the agriculture sector.
We are launching a long-overdue review of the
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Canada’s
most important piece of environmental policy to
find ways to strengthen it. The Liberals put off
the review, we committed in our Speech to the
Throne that it receive the comprehensive review
it deserves for the sake of the Canadian environment.
We have begun the review of the Canada-US Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which hasn’t had
a serious review since 1987.
Soon, the Health Minister and I will lay out a
vision and direction on the important need to
deal with transboundary air pollution and work
with the health authorities across Canada and
the provinces to develop the Canadian Clean Air
Act. Today, Canada falls behind the USA in every
industry sector on pollution control. And we don’t
just want to catch up, we want to compete – we
want to lead.
The health impacts of pollution
are deadly and the cost to the healthcare system
is in the billions. Last year, Ontario had 53
smog advisory days and Quebec had 34 – and for
the first time in Canadian history, we had 10
winter smog advisory days in Canada. On those
days, young children with asthma and elderly people
with respiratory diseases cannot leave their homes
– this is unacceptable to our Government – and
the answer is not to blame the US and other countries
for the pollution that crosses our borders – we
have to clean up our own backyard also.
We are beginning discussions
with the provinces on a National Water Strategy
– to share information about water quantity and
quality. To ensure Canadians have access to safe
and clean drinking water, and to identify the
quantity and resource related issues that are
emerging throughout Canada.
We will be working towards a
system for large emitters to deal with greenhouse
gases and ensure that we take the right steps
to facilitate Canada’s ability to contribute in
our strongest capacity to this international challenge
– through the development and deployment of clean
technology.
These are just a few of the
things we are working on – all of them are “Made-in-Canada”
solutions – real benefits, tangible results for
Canadians and the Canadian environment.
We will ensure that our domestic
policy aligns with our international policy. It
will also ensure that Canada will continue to
exercise a leadership role within international
consultation and cooperation by advancing realistic
and inclusive international options within the
United Nations, and we will explore other mechanisms
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ways that
accurately reflect Canada’s national circumstances
and effectively protect our country’s interests.
We want to see a more inclusive
international approach which sees large emitters
like China and India take on commitments to reduce
pollution and greenhouse gases within the Kyoto
Protocol. To reach a global solution, we need
everyone to be part of the equation.
This government is committed
to turning a new leaf and showing results on the
environment.
This is what our new “Made-in-Canada” approach
is all about. Domestic action to achieve tangible
environmental results, right down to our local
communities.
