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TRANSCRIPT (from Hansard)
Ms. Megan Leslie (Halifax, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the South African high commissioner spoke about the reports that Canada may be withdrawing from Kyoto. She called the move disturbing and disappointing. She said it will undermine the negotiating process at Durban because Canada has not only planned a withdrawal, but has actively lobbied other countries to do the same.
The minister has admitted he has no intention to negotiate a new climate deal, and he has not denied his intention to withdraw from Kyoto. At the same time, the minister has said that his intentions in Durban are not to derail the negotiations on climate. Will the minister tell us what his intentions really are?
Ms. Michelle Rempel (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, instead of talking about intentions, let us talk about real action with regard to climate change: $250 million to support regulatory activities to address climate change and $86 million to support clean energy regulatory reforms. New Democrats voted against this.
Ms. Megan Leslie (Halifax, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, why do I not take a crack at deciphering what the intentions are?
We know that the Conservatives are waiting until December 23 to announce their withdrawal from Kyoto. If a country withdraws from the agreement, it does not take effect for one year. That means that Canada can try to sabotage the negotiations this year in Durban and next year in Qatar.
It is this kind of behaviour that denigrates and undermines Canada's reputation internationally. Will the minister admit that this is his plan?
Ms. Michelle Rempel (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, agreements that do not include major emitters like China and the United States will not work. That is why we remain committed to reducing Canada's greenhouse gas emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. We are making good progress through tangible action that we have taken here at home. We are proud of this record.
Ms. Kirsty Duncan (Etobicoke North, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, this fall the minister said inaction on greenhouse gas emissions would lead to a "cataclysmic day". Despite this understanding, all the government has done on climate change is slash programs and take Canada backwards.
Now we learn that the government is signalling its withdrawal from its international climate obligations. If the minister accepts that climate change is real, as he claims, and the government promises accountability and transparency, why is it planning to withdraw after the Durban conference?
Ms. Michelle Rempel (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about something that is cataclysmic: signing on to an international accord with no plans to implement it. That is what a Liberal government would do.
Let us talk about its record. Under the Liberal government, Canada's carbon dioxide emissions rose between 1997 and 2005. We have a plan, an action plan and it is working.
Mr. Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, to distract us from the minister's incompetence and to counter its miserable record on the environment, this government has announced with gusto a paltry $120 million annually to fight climate change in Canada. In the past three years, Quebec alone has invested almost twice that amount, $200 million per year.
Do the Conservatives really believe that such a pittance will make us forget the six years of inaction, obstruction, ignorance and bad faith?
Ms. Michelle Rempel (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the colleague opposite to actually read the budget before voting against it. What is included in the budget is $252 million to support regulatory activities to address climate change and air quality. I could go through the list of the hundreds of millions of dollars that we have prudently invested to take care of Canada's environment, a record of which we are proud.
Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP):
...
Ms. Michelle Rempel (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC):
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Question Period, 7 December 2011 (Parliament of Canada): The Environmentby SaveEC173 views
Good stuff Michelle. Everyone of the NDP and Liberals will look like idiots when the world finally agrees global warming does not exist.
rxc128 2 months ago
Elizabeth May is the best!
420retrohippie 2 months ago