Parliament
Foyer, Ottawa (Ontario) - October 19, 2006 - Check
Against Delivery - I am here today to tell you
how our government will be the first to introduce
comprehensive national regulations to clean up
the air that Canadians breathe.
Today, we are introducing Canada’s
Clean Air Act which will give us new and stronger
powers to do things we need to do to protect the
health of Canadians and our environment.
Canada’s Clean Air Act will
enhance our monitoring, reporting, enforcement,
and auditing powers to ensure industry is reducing
their pollution and show Canadians that we are
achieving results in cleaning up the air we breathe.
It is time that Canada did its
part to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases.
It is time that Canadians feel they can trust
their government to put in place real measures
that will reduce smog – measures that will result
in healthier Canadians, suffering less from asthma,
chronic bronchitis, and lung cancer.
Past governments relied on voluntary
measures, satisfied that industry could set their
own standards. Those days are over – from now
on, all industry sectors will have mandatory requirements
and we will enforce those requirements. Our plan
puts the health of Canadians and the health of
our environment first. Any polluters that go over
their targets will be fined and all money will
go towards the Environmental Damages Fund.
We know the key to reducing
greenhouse gases is technology. But we will not
use a carbon tax because the only people that
end up paying are Canadian taxpayers – and we
think they have paid enough with their health.
Any industry that goes over their greenhouse gas
limits will be fined and will pay into a Canadian
Technology Fund. The money paid into the fund
will be reinvested in technology to reduce greenhouse
gases.
Everyone will be able to play
a part. We will explore an opt-in plan to cover
small and medium size businesses, organizations,
co operatives and municipalities that don’t fall
under regulations but also want to make our environment
cleaner and greener.
We will work with provinces,
territories and industry to explore opportunities
to encourage early investment and reductions through
technology such as CO2 sequestration.
We will be the first federal
government to introduce mandatory regulations
on all industry sectors across Canada to reduce
air pollution and greenhouse gases. We will be
the first government to establish national air
quality objectives. We will be accountable to
Canadians by reporting on our progress in a public
annual air quality report and we will be HELD
accountable through measurable outcomes linked
to the health of Canadians, especially the more
vulnerable in our society, our children and the
elderly, who suffer from childhood asthma and
respiratory diseases.
We will also be accountable
to Parliament by mandatory annual reporting to
Parliament on our actions and their effectiveness
to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases.
We want real reductions in pollution
and greenhouse gases. We will see real reductions
through regulations that impose mandatory requirements.
We have set an ambitious target of achieving 45-65%
of absolute reductions by 2050. We have set an
ambitious agenda over the next few months to negotiate
short terms targets with provinces, territories
and industry by spring.
In addition, in the coming weeks
and months we will introduce air pollution regulations
from big equipment used in construction, mining,
forestry and agriculture.
New regulations on outboards,
seadoos, snowmobiles and ATV’s.
New regulations for heavy trucks, buses and forklifts.
New regulations on consumer
products such as paints, cosmetics and cleaning
products.
And new regulations to reduce pollution from the
rail, shipping and aviation industry.
When Canada’s Clean Air Act passes, we will have
the power to:
• set fuel efficiency standards
in the auto sector
• establish national air quality objectives based
on health and be accountable for reaching them
• be accountable to Parliament by reporting on
annual progress
• be accountable to Canadians through an annual
report on air quality
• be able to regulate products that create emissions
such as woodstoves and gas-powered lawnmowers
• be able to blend fuels so we can offer Canadians
cleaner fuels like ethanol and biodiesel and give
our farmers opportunity to participate in the
renewable fuels industry
• be able to regulate indoor air for radon, which
is the leading cause of lung cancer among non
smokers.
• be able to issue mandatory reporting notices
on products that cause pollution and require companies
to report on their human health and environmental
impacts
• be able to issue interim emergency orders to
shut down polluters if we believe immediate action
is needed
• it will expand the inspection powers of our
enforcement officers
• companies will no longer be able to voluntarily
report to government, they will have to have independent
verification and evaluation of their pollution
information
• we will introduce new energy efficiency requirements
and labeling requirements for 20 new consumer
products such as washing machines and dishwashers
and electronic products like televisions and DVD
players.
And this is only the beginning,
today I am here to share with you our regulatory
agenda. Our government will also be introducing
educational and consumer programs in the coming
months. But today, we are here to talk about the
most important thing we can do as a federal government
to protect the health of Canadians and the environment
- regulate big industry and find ways for smaller
businesses, farmers and municipalities to be a
part of a cleaner, greener Canada.
Our health has suffered long
enough and our environment has suffered long enough.
We need Canada’s Clean Air Act to make real progress
for my generation and the generations that come
after me.
Thank you.
