Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I would like to read an extract from a press release from the Canola Growers Association. It says, “We’re pleased to see the CFR provides options that would minimize regulatory burden and allow canola to be used to reduce [greenhouse gas] emissions through biofuel production.” There is a “[r]ecognition of the sustainable production practices of Canadian growers that help sequester and…
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Mr. Speaker, this being my first opportunity to rise since Parliament resumed, I want to offer my deepest condolences to every Canadian who has been impacted by forest fires, to the tens of thousands who have been evacuated this summer because of forest fires and floods. Thank God, tropical storm Lee did not hit as hard as it could have. With the reality of climate change, any responsible governme…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question. Unlike the Conservative Party of Canada, I share her concerns about global warming. I would like to remind her that, between 2019 and 2021, Canada had the best record in the G7 in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We cut our emissions by 55 million tonnes, which is 25% of our 2030 target. However, I agree with my colleague that we …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. That is why, when faced with the issue of climate change and the increase in natural disasters, we presented the first national climate change adaptation strategy in partnership with the provinces, territories, municipalities and indigenous peoples. This climate change adaptation strategy was applauded by institutions such as Impact Assurance, wh…
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Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the government’s calculations for nitrous oxide emissions associated with nitrogen fertilizer use are published in the National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Report, which is accessible at https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.506002/publication.html. With regard to (b), the government received data on fertilizer use, in agricultural markets each year, in metric t…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and her advocacy on this issue. This summer I had the pleasure of spending time with her and citizens who are concerned about the issue of climate change, protecting and conserving our natural habitats and fighting pollution, including pollution caused by plastics. That is precisely why the Prime Minister, some of my other colleagues and I are goi…
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Mr. Speaker, considering the forest fire season we had, not to mention the storms and heat waves happening here in Canada and around the planet, I think some would say that all hope is lost. However, we must fight climate change. We must create good jobs in Canada. We must help Canadians in these difficult times. That is exactly what we on this side of the House are doing. What does the Conservati…
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Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), Parks Canada did not contract suppliers or consultants related to Q-1512. With regard to part (b), Parks Canada did not contract consultants related to Q-1512. With regard to part (c), Under the Canada National Parks Act, the superintendent has authority over decisions related to use of Clear Lake. While a consultation process was not required, in recognition …
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Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus, is listed as threatened on schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act, as recommended by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Its status is based on the threat of increased drought and sylvatic plague, which are expected to cause significant population declines if they occur frequently. Dr…
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Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), Environment and Climate Change Canada, ECCC, scientists have participated in a number of studies on the impacts of wind turbines on wildlife in Canada. In 2013, the journal Avian Conservation and Ecology published a special feature called “Quantifying Human-related Mortality of Birds in Canada”. This included nine research papers evaluating the impact of vario…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that more and more people who are watching at home are totally mystified at the fact that the Conservatives have nothing to say about the climate crisis. Over the past year, we have experienced the worst tropical storm on the east coast of Canada and the most severe flooding in the history of our country, and now we are dealing with the largest wildfires in Canadian history. W…
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this important issue today. I thank my hon. colleagues from the Bloc Québécois and commend them for their activism on this issue. I do not doubt their commitment to the issue of climate change for a single second. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for all the members of the House. Forests all over Canada are burning. We are facing what …
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I thank the leader of the Bloc Québécois for his question. I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We are not going to wait until fossil fuel subsidies are completely eliminated. We are already doing this, so we can make massive investments in public transit, electrification and clean technologies. That is what we did in the last budget. It is what the Conservat…
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Mr. Speaker, I have four kids who have benefited from the Quebec day care, what was called in those days the $7-a-day day care program. Some studies in Quebec have shown that this program has allowed 70,000 mothers to go back to the workplace and that this has contributed to an increase in the Quebec GDP of more than $5 billion. Yes, everyone heard me right: $5 billion. I wonder if the member woul…
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Mr. Speaker, I have good news for my hon. colleague. In 2018, EDC went from $12.5 billion in international fossil fuel subsidies to less than $400 million last July. This will get to zero this year. These are international fossil fuel subsidies. We will also eliminate all domestic fossil fuel subsidies in 2023, two years earlier than all of our G20 partners.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy on this issue. As she is well aware, last year, we eliminated international fossil fuel subsidies. Canada and the U.K. are the two most advanced countries in the world who have tackled this international crisis, and we are on track to phase out domestic fossil fuel subsidies this year, in 2023, two years earlier than any of our G20 partner co…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question and for her activism on the issue of climate change. I want to reassure her. Fighting climate change is the reason why we brought in carbon pricing, one of the most ambitious such initiatives in the world. Fighting climate change is the reason why we are implementing zero emissions legislation to put more electric vehicles and zero emissions vehic…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that we are in the process of eliminating fossil fuel subsidies in this beautiful country we call Canada with the collaboration of his very own party. We put a stop to international subsidies last year, and we were applauded by NGOs like Environmental Defence and Equiterre and by international organizations like Oil Change International. Accord…
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Mr. Speaker, the answer is quite simple: We are already doing it. We are investing more than $200 billion in clean technologies and in the fight against climate change. That is half of what the United States, a country 10 times our size, is doing. What is more, we are eliminating fossil fuel subsidies. I agree with my hon. colleague. We need to do more. We need to move faster on both tackling clim…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader of the Bloc Québécois for his question. We agree with him. We must do more to fight climate change. There is a clear link between the forest fire season we are currently experiencing in Canada and the use of fossil fuels. We must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. That is why we will be supporting the motion moved by the Bloc Québécois today in the House of Common…
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Madam Speaker, I am a fan of podcasts and one of them is a Canadian podcast called The Hurly Burly Shakespeare Show! A few months ago, the guest on the show was a so-called well-known NDP adviser to both the federal and provincial NDP. The first question the host asked was, “What do you think the Liberal government will be remembered for?” The famous NDP adviser to the federal NDP and many provinc…
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Mr. Speaker, the member quoted a number of people who have fought the forest fires in his communities in Nova Scotia and spoke at length about how the forest fires are unprecedented. They have never seen such intense forest fires. One of my colleagues and I spoke about the linkages between the extreme forest fires we are seeing and climate change. There is abundant scientific evidence out there on…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for mentioning climate change, which, unfortunately, on that side of the House, does not happen very often. To answer his first question, we planted 30 million trees in 2020 and 60 million trees in 2021, which is up from eight million trees in 2019. To get to two billion trees by 2030, we need to get to a cruising speed of planting 300 million trees per year.…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for all his work on these issues. As I said in my speech, in the economy of the 21st century, there is an international race to attract companies and investors in the green economy. Ten years ago, there was 10 times more investment in fossil fuels worldwide than there was in renewable energy. In 2022, it is the opposite. Smart money is moving toward clean tec…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his advocacy on this issue. He talked about the forest fire situation in Canada. It is likely going to be the worst year for forest fires. The federal government is supporting all the provinces and territories, as well as indigenous communities that have requested help from the federal government. I have spoken personally to some indigenous leaders. Parks…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. First, I would like to remind him that, in 2021, Canada's economic growth was the strongest in the G7, at 5%. Economic growth in Canada leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Second, despite the global pandemic, we had the best record of any G7 country of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The pandemic affected not just Canada, but the enti…
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Mr. Speaker, I think the member almost recognized the reality of climate change. For that, I am extremely grateful. As I said, we have presented Canada's first-ever national adaptation strategy. No other government did that before we did. That strategy has been applauded by many stakeholders in this field. I also recognize that we need to do more. We are not ready to face the impacts of climate ch…
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Mr. Speaker, timelines for project decisions are predictable based on the requirements in the Impact Assessment Act. The act indicates that the impact statement phase conducted by proponents is up to three years. Government planning and decision-making is approximately one and a half years, which includes the planning phase, impact assessment phase and decision-making. Project timelines are often …
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague has risen in the House on a number of occasions to speak on behalf of farmers. In front of me, I have a press release from the Canola Council of Canada congratulating our government on the clean fuel regulations. It states, “We’re pleased to see the CFR provides options that would minimize regulatory burden and allow canola to be used to reduce GHG emissions through …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke about the agricultural industry and the measures that we are putting in place to help that industry, like all industries, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. I am looking at a news release from the Canadian Canola Growers Association commending the government for its clean-fuel regulation that will make it possible to invest $2 billion in Canada's canola farmers …
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Mr. Speaker, we are, in fact, battling climate change, and we have the strongest economic growth of all the G7 countries. We have put in place measures that will create thousands of jobs in Canada, boosting Canada's economy for the coming years and for the coming decades. We are doing that while we reduce climate pollution by 50 million tonnes, the equivalent of removing 11 million vehicles from o…
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Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I would like to read a weather alert on Environment Canada's website. A “special air quality statement” says that “smoke plumes from forest fires in Quebec and northeastern Ontario have resulted in deteriorated air quality.” Moreover, “High levels of air pollution [have developed] due to smog from forest fires”. The air quality in our nation's capital is worse th…
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Mr. Speaker, this question highlights that the Conservative Party of Canada has no understanding whatsoever of the science of climate change. It is as if we can flick a switch and climate is going to be all right. It is this magical thinking that by investing money in cryptocurrency, all is going to be good with the economy in Canada. This is the same thing. If the Leader of the Opposition will no…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his advocacy on this issue. Happy World Environment Day. I am happy to announce that in just a few weeks, on June 20, the single-use plastic ban will come into full force. Following that date, harmful plastics such as straws and plastic cutlery will no longer be able to be used in, sold in or imported into Canada. This is news worth celebrating. P…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member for Calgary Nose Hill for her comments earlier in this House. She actually talked about climate change, which her leader has never done and very few of the members of the Conservative Party have done. She begged us to do smarter things like public transport. Well, every time we have proposed public transport, they have voted against it. She said…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that in their 2021 platform, the Conservatives were proposing to put in place carbon pricing. It was not a plan for the environment, but at least they were talking about it. It was a plan to encourage people to pollute more. That is not the polluter pays principle, but we are getting there. They even refused last week to let us table their own …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that, in his party's election platform during the last campaign, the Conservatives proposed introducing a clean fuel standard. The difference between them and us is that, when they come to power, they do exactly the opposite of what they said they would do. We on this side of the House are doing exactly what we said we would do. We are committe…
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying earlier, Canadians are battling forest fires right across the country. It is likely going to be the worst year for forest fires in the history of Canada. While this is happening, just last week in this House, the member for Red Deer—Mountain View rose to tell Canadians that climate change is normal. It is not that they do not care about climate change. It is not that t…
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Mr. Speaker, 2016 was the worst year for forest fires in Alberta, and already we are on the verge of surpassing this on June 4. We have just seen the worst forest fires in the history of Nova Scotia, and this is only June 4. Quebec asked the federal government over the weekend, because it said it could not handle all the forest fires it is seeing, and it is only the beginning of June. What is the …
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Mr. Speaker, as the Leader of the Opposition well knows, I approved that project myself just last year. The company announced yesterday that it is putting the project on pause for three years because of market conditions. That is the company's decision. We will take it as it is.
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Mr. Speaker, I have to admit that it is very disappointing to hear my hon. colleague opposite oversimplifying the issue. He knows full well that the carbon pricing system does not apply in Quebec. Let us talk about carbon pricing. In 2021, not only did all members of the Conservative Party campaign in favour of carbon pricing, but 19 members on the other side campaigned in 2021 and 2008 to impleme…
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Mr. Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague that he campaigned during the last election on putting carbon pricing in place. He is saying no to billions of dollars of investment already happening in Canada, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Alberta and southern Ontario, in the new economy. That is what Conservatives are saying no to. We are saying yes to fighting climate change.…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and for all his work on the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. In the latest budget, we invested $750 million to protect fresh water across the country. We have delivered on our promise to create an independent water agency, which will be located in Winnipeg. By protecting water, we are protecting the health of Canadian…
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, when he went to committee the commissioner of the environment did not benefit from the information in our latest national inventory report, which shows that we have reduced emissions by 53 million tonnes, which is the equivalent of removing 11 million vehicles from our roads, between 2019 and 2021. We are landing deals like Volkswagen. We are landing deals with Tidewa…
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Mr. Speaker, unfortunately the commissioner of the environment did not have the benefit of our latest national inventory report, which shows that we have the best performance of all—
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Mr. Speaker, I am sorry, but the member is plainly wrong. We have not missed our target. The Conservatives missed their target. I was in Copenhagen in 2009 when former Prime Minister Harper committed Canada to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. They did nothing. We have reduced emissions by 50 million tonnes between 2019 and 2021, the best performance of all G7 countries. We did that while cre…
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Mr. Speaker, setting aside the fact that the members opposite all campaigned to put in place carbon pricing in Canada, let us look at what they are saying no to. They are saying no to clean air and clean water. We were evacuating people in New Brunswick and in Quebec. We had to airlift people outside of Fort Chipewyan last night because of climate change. The Conservatives are saying let us make p…
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Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), Environment and Climate Change Canada, ECCC, can only report on the number of environmental occurrences that were reported to the National Environmental Emergencies Centre by Alberta. For the calendar years 2020, 2021 and 2022, Alberta notified ECCC of a total of 4175 environmental occurrences. With regard to part (b), for the calendar years 2020, 2021 and 202…
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Mr. Speaker, I am told that orange is the new black. To expand on the benefits to the Canadian economy of the clean fuel standard, let me talk about the Tidewater $342-million plant in British Columbia. This year, Imperial Oil—
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Mr. Speaker, when the Conservative Party of Canada, in the 2021 election, campaigned on bringing carbon pricing to $170 a tonne or putting in place clean fuel regulations, were they trying to fool Canadians? Is that what we are to understand?
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