The Conservatives have turned turn their back on the environment… again

That should come as no surprise, as the environment is the most important priority for a majority of Canadians. But that is not the case for the Conservative minority government, as it continues to be out of touch with Canadians on environmental issues.

On Feb. 1, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion tabled a motion in the House asking the government to recognize the scientific evidence concerning climate change, reconfirm Canada’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, and introduce concrete measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When MPs voted on the motion a few days later, Conservative MPs were the only ones who voted against it. This should come as no surprise.

In a 2002 fundraising letter to Canadian Alliance members, Stephen Harper called the Kyoto Protocol “a socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth-producing nations”, and boasted that the Canadian Alliance was leading the battle against it. And since coming to power, the Harper Conservatives have cut programs and initiatives to fight greenhouse gas emissions put in place by the previous Liberal administration.

Our Liberal government was fully committed to Kyoto and was taking concrete and tangible action. In the Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change, we provided $1.1 billion for research into clean energy technologies. In 2002, we introduced the Climate Change Plan for Canada, which helped launch the One Tonne Challenge and the EnerGuide program for the retrofitting of houses. In Budget 2005, we committed $10 billion by 2012 to meeting our Kyoto targets.

Again in 2005, under the leadership of then Environment Minister Stéphane Dion, our Liberal government listed the six major greenhouse gases as toxic for the purposes of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

What have the Conservatives done? They cut all the measures we had put in place. Suddenly, now that winning a majority could rest on their performance on the environmental file, they re-introduced water-downed versions of Liberal initiated programs. And instead of acting now under CEPA to regulate greenhouse gases, they are stubbornly trying to pass Bill C-30, a bill denounced by environmentalists and the opposition parties.

The Liberal Party has not abandoned the fight against climate change. We will continue to press the government to establish a cap and trade system to limit greenhouse gases. We will also do everything possible to ensure the creation of a carbon market right here in Montreal.

And this week, the House of Commons will be voting on a bill introduced by Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez, an Act to ensure Canada meets its global climate change obligations under the Kyoto Protocol (C-288). The bill calls for the government to establish within 60 days an action plan on climate change, as well as publish annual reports on the situation.

A Harper spokesperson has already said that the minority government will not respect the bill should it pass into law. After the Conservatives have wasted an entire year by playing politics, they will turn their back on the environment… again.



The Honourable Lucienne Robillard is the Liberal Member of Parliament for Westmount-Ville-Marie and the Deputy House Leader.