House of Commons Debates VOLUME 146 Ï NUMBER 060 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 41st PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Monday, December 5, 2011 Speaker: The Honourable Andrew Scheer CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 3947 HOUSE OF COMMONS Monday, December 5, 2011 The House met at 11 a.m. increase Canadian trade with our major partners in a new sustainable energy economy. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): Since today is the Prayers final allotted day for the supply period ending December 10, 2011, the House will go through the usual procedures to consider and dispose of the supply bill. PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS In view of recent practices, do hon. members agree that the bill be distributed now? CANADA LABOUR CODE (Bill C-307. On the Order: Private Members' Business:) Some hon. members: Agreed. October 3, 2011—Second reading of Bill C-307, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (pregnant or nursing employees)—The member for Rosemont—La Ms. Megan Leslie: Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to share my time Petite-Patrie. with the member for Terrebonne—Blainville. Ï (1105) I am very honoured to stand here today and debate this NDP [Translation] motion on climate change and what is happening in Durban. I am SUSPENSION OF SITTING proud to be here with my colleagues in the House who are clear supporters of internationally binding agreements when it comes to The Speaker: The hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and actually taking action on is not present to move the order as announced in today's notice climate. paper. Accordingly, the order is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the order paper. In question period afew weeks ago, the Minister of Natural The House is suspended until 12 p.m. Resources stood and responded to one of my questions. He said: (The sitting of the House was suspended at 11:07 a.m.) Mr. Speaker, the NDP members keep talking about the environment. SITTING RESUMED I would like to thank the minister for that observation. He is (The House resumed at 12 p.m.) absolutely correct. We do stand up for the environment. I am proud to be here today once again standing up and talking about the environment in the House with an NDP opposition day motion that encourages the Canadian government to take a leadership role in tackling global climate change and ensuring that Canadian jobs are GOVERNMENT ORDERS not lost as the rest of the world moves on toward a sustainable energy economy. Ï (1200) [English] The minister pointed out that the NDP is always standing up for BUSINESS OF SUPPLY the environment because in his mind that cannot be done while we are also standing up for the Canadian economy. However, I believe OPPOSITION MOTION—CLIMATE CHANGE that the environment and the economy absolutely go hand in hand, Ms. Megan Leslie (Halifax, NDP) moved: and we can work on both together. That this House urge the government to: (a) play a leadership role in tackling global climate change and ensuring Canadian jobs aren’t lost as the rest of the world moves I think the Conservative government lacks the creativity and towards a new sustainable energy economy; (b) work in a leadership role at the vision to create an economic strategy that goes beyond the fossil fuel United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Durban towards a binding climate industry. This lack of creative vision and this attitude cuts short change treaty with the goal of limiting average global temperature increases to 2°C; Canada's future economic possibilities and has led to a government (c) recognize the real, science-based threat of global climate change, as well as respect and adhere to its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol and the Copenhagen that actually advocates and celebrates ecological destruction. We Accord; and (d) take immediate action to lower net carbon emissions in Canada and have heard its members applaud it here in the House. 3948 COMMONS DEBATES December 5, 2011 Business of Supply We in the NDP think that our economic future is also our carbon penalty on our oil. The U.S. has ordered an environmental ecological future. We want to think about the economy for the next review of Keystone that takes into account climate change and 20 or 30 years and recognize that there is more potential for greenhouse gas emissions. These are some of our strongest trading innovation and job creation in a transition to a green economy. That partners. is the end goal. Canada is being punished because while other countries are Before I was elected, I had the opportunity to work with a group moving ahead on climate, we are doing nothing. We have no plan on of stakeholders on designing ratepayer-funded energy efficiency how to develop the oil sands. The oil sands are a precious natural plans for the province. We were in a situation where the Nova Scotia resource, a resource we can use to leverage a larger transition to a power utility realized that it was cheaper to invest aggressively in green economy. energy efficiency than it was to continue on our path of increased energy use. This was a move that was good for the environment, but We need to go beyond thinking about the short-term and having it was also really good for the utility's bottom line. that colony mentality, looking for the empire that will save us when When we were designing these programs, we realized we needed we export our raw natural resources. We need to look to the next 20 a line item in the budget for training, because we knew that jobs to 30 years and think about our long-term energy future. would be created as a result of these programs and we knew that there was not the capacity in the community to actually fill these The Conservatives have absolutely no plan to make oil sands roles. Therefore, there was a specific line for training to create new development consistent with the GHG or greenhouse gas reductions jobs in energy efficiency, whether in auditing or doing home that we need to make through either technological investments or a retrofits. diversification of strategy for our energy economy and for the economy of Alberta. These are good-paying jobs that we cannot ship offshore. They are jobs that are not located in one city or one region. They are jobs that We need to diversify our energy economy. We need to invest are in every community across Canada, and we are missing out on equally in wind, solar and tidal energies. We need to think about how that with our failure to take action on climate change. We can see Canadian natural resources can benefit Canadians first. We need to how the economy and the environment do go hand in hand if we just invest aggressively in energy efficiency. We need an environment think strategically and creatively. minister who understands that he is the Minister of the Environment The Minister of the Environment has said that Canada will not and we need a Minister of Natural Resources who understands that agree to any international climate commitments unless big emitters he needs to advocate for all of our natural resources, not just one. such as India and China also follow suit. On the face of it, this sounds like a compelling argument. Of course we all want China and We have some mixed media reports coming out of Durban today, India to come on board, absolutely, and other rapidly industrializing just an hour or so ago. Some reports say the minister has announced countries should all be included in this international effort. However, that Canada will formally withdraw from Kyoto and other reports I believe that the Conservatives only use this line to confuse and to say that is not in fact what he said, that what he said was that we are create more deadlock and delay. not going to recommit to Kyoto 2 or Kyoto plus, the next stage. It is noteworthy that this minister calls China to task for not I just came from a meeting with the South African high committing to a climate plan, but at the same time threatens the commissioner where she laid out so eloquently what is happening United States with the idea that we will sell our bitumen to China if on the world stage around Kyoto and Canada's involvement, the U.S. will not expand Keystone. What he is saying is China is a Canada's active sabotaging of these international agreements. bad country for being a major emitter, but it is a good enough country for us to sell our raw products to. I think we cannot have it It was eloquent and moving, and it made me quite sad to hear her both ways. first-hand account of what it is that Canada is doing and how we are failing on the national stage. She said that the worse thing that could The government's intentions here are transparent. It is trying to happen in Durban is that Kyoto fails to exist, and with Canada throw a monkey wrench into the good faith negotiations of other passively sitting by and not doing anything, and with reports that countries that want to take action on climate. We all know that if we Canada is actually pulling out, it just makes things worse. really want these countries to come on board, the best way to do that is to lead, show good faith and take action domestically.