Response to the Speech from the Throne House of Commons Ottawa October 19, 2004 Check against delivery Mister Speaker, Thanks to the support given to me for the fourth consecutive time by the electors of Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, and thanks also to the trust that the Prime Minister has placed in me, I am very proud and privileged to be responsible for the environment at a time when: this issue is becoming more crucial than ever in terms of improving our quality of life; the links that, as is becoming increasingly clear, bind the environment and economic competitiveness have the effect of changing the global economy; those nations that succeed in reconciling the environment and the economy will enjoy immense economic advantages; Canada must assert itself as a leader in the new industrial revolution, that of the sustainable economy, as it has done in all previous industrial revolutions. To help Canada succeed in the sustainable economy, the Speech from the Throne gives us some powerful tools. In fact, no fewer than thirteen initiatives were mentioned there, thirteen levers that will help us both to make our environment healthier and to make our economy stronger. Allow me, Mr. Speaker, to comment briefly on each of them. 1. The Government will work with its partners to build sustainable development systematically into decision making. This is the most important of our thirteen undertakings and it means that we are dealing not only with thirteen separate measures but also with an overall plan. The environment must be at the heart of our collective decision-making, both private and public. We have to bring together around a single table governments, industry and NGOs in order to make the best decisions and select the best processes for both the quality of our environment and the competitiveness of our economy. 2. The Government will work with the private sector to improve the commercialization of the best new environmental technologies. Major investments funded out of the proceeds of the sale of the Government’s Petro-Canada shares will support the development and deployment of these technologies. Technological innovations must be used to their full potential. Not only our environment but also our economy will benefit from this and we shall at the same time strengthen the environmental technology industries. There are too many good ideas that simply aren’t successfully crossing the final hurdle of commercialization. At the same time we need to invest in next-generation technologies, such as fuel cells and “smart systems” for energy in the home, as well as technologies to help key industries such as oil sands, mining, forestry, and aluminum production be as efficient and environmentally sustainable as possible. 3. The Government will consolidate federal environmental assesments and will work with the provinces and territories toward a unified and more effective assesment process for Canada. This is part of the more effective decision-making process that we must develop, especially within the federal government. Each year, the Government of Canada undertakes environmental assessments for projects that represent billions of dollars of potential investment. It is important to consolidate the federal assessment process in order to ensure that proponents do not face undue delay nor administrative dysfunctionalities, and that these assessments are consistently applied and always of a quality that protects the health of Canadians and our environment. 4. By 2006, the Government will implement a new Green Procurement Policy to govern its purchases. The federal government is the largest employer in Canada and also has an immense purchasing power. It has to lead by example in ensuring that its buildings and fleet of vehicles are the most environment-and climate-friendly as possible, and that its procurement has the lowest possible impact on the environment. This will help bring the most advanced environmental technologies onto the market and, over time, the federal treasury will benefit from the savings that more energy-efficient buildings and vehicles generate. I intend to work closely with the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and the President of the Treasury Board to green government operations. To achieve our goal, we are developing a government-wide performance management framework and common performance measures. 5. The Government will introduce legislation that will strengthen the focus on the ecological integrity of Canada’s national parks. The ecological integrity of our national parks is important to the health of Canadians, and is part of our national identity. Also, Canada’s parks are important for sustainable tourism, community revitalization and partnership with Aboriginal people. The Government of Canada has a responsibility to ensure that these special places are protected for the use and enjoyment of future generations, and will continue to contribute to vibrant communities and local economies. 6. The Government will place increased focus on energy. In the past, Canada has shown that it can transform impossible energy dreams into reality. When the oil sands of the Athabaska were discovered in the 1960s, no technology existed to exploit them and the economics were simply crazy. It took decades of dedication and, especially, sustained federal support ($40 billion in various fiscal incentives and tax breaks) to eventually transform this impossible project into a thriving industry that will both provide enormous amounts of both energy and wealth to the country for decades to come. Yes, Canada is rich in sources of energy of fossil origin, particularly natural gas, oil and coal. And we will need them for quite a while. We have to learn to produce them in a much cleaner way and to use them responsibly, in a way that doesn’t harm the climate. Canada also has great potential in generating power from the wind, from the sun, from geothermal, and from biomass. What Canada needs now is an energy strategy, including a renewable energy strategy. The Government will work with provinces, industry, NGOs and consumers to develop a clean, renewable energy strategy that provides a framework for further investments in hydro developments and transmission, cogeneration, wind and other emerging renewable energy forms. 7. The government will support wind-power production, stimulated by a quadrupling of the Wind Power Production Incentive. In the last decade, wind power has made tremendous progress in some countries. Canada has enormous potential. This government is determined to make Canada a world leader in wind power production, as just one step towards being a leader in other renewable energy sources. 8. The Government will refine and implement a national plan for climate change, in partnership with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders. When Canada ratified Kyoto in 2002, it also adopted a first version of its plan. As stated in the plan itself, the plan was, by necessity, a “work in progress” that would evolve over time. We now need to refine our plan in order to make it more effective. We need to take into account the development of new technologies and the relative success of particular measures. Some may produce more results than expected while some may not work as well. Climate change is a phenomenon about which we are learning something new every day, and our plan must be improved to reflect this, in order to attain our Kyoto goals in accordance with a strategy that provides log-term results while sustaining a strong and prosperous economy. 9. The Government will work with the United States and agencies like the International Joint Commission on issues such as air, water and invasive species. Besides having the closest economic relationship in the world, Canada and the US share many ecosystems and a common airshed. Both countries have been working together for decades to manage our common ecosystems, particularly in the Great Lakes area, through the International Joint Commission. We will intensify that work and will also use other bilateral opportunities and mechanisms to help improve our common environment in North America. 10. The Government will bring forward the next generation of its Great Lakes and Saint-Lawrence programs. The only way to address the complex issues that led to the environmental degradation of these precious bodies of water is through an ecosystems approach where all levels of governments together with all relevant partners work in a coordinated way. Step-by-step, over time, the quality of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence has improved. But much more needs to be done. The US government has launched a major initiative to protect and restore the Great Lakes. We will also be launching a comprehensive process to bring together all the relevant federal, provincial and municipal players to develop a long-term, sustainable and competitive vision for the entire basin. As part of our commitment to protect and preserve these internationally significant shared ecosystems, the Government of Canada will be working to expand our system of national marine conservation areas to include a second site within the Great Lakes. When it is established, in cooperation with the Government of Ontario, the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area of Canada will encompass just over 10,000 square kilometres. 11. The government will move forward on its Oceans Action Plan. Oceans contribute billions of dollars to the Canadian economy, and ocean ecosystems support the health of our environment and our citizens. As committed to in the Speech from the Throne, the Government will maximize the use and development of ocean technology, establish a network of marine protected areas, implement integrated management plans, and enhance the enforcement of rules governing oceans and fisheries. In addition to the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area mentioned earlier, an MOU has been signed with the Government of British Columbia that sets the stage for the establishment of two national marine conservation areas in B.C. 12. Through the New Deal for Canada’s Cities and Communities, the Government will enable municipalities to make long-term financial commitments needed to help contain urban sprawl and to invest in new sustainable infrastructure projects. This New Deal for Cities and Communities must be a green deal. And it will be a green deal, this is what all levels of governments want. The Government will also continue working with the provinces and territories to develop a Canada-wide strategy for the management of municipal wastewater effluents, which will guide infrastructure investments to ensure they improve environmental protection. 13. The Government will develop a comprehensive strategy for the North that will protect the northern environment. The Arctic is one of the most vulnerable ecosystems in the world and Canada is a major steward of it. This unique ecosystem is already damaged by climate change. We need to work with territorial governments and with Northerners and Aboriginals. We also need to work with our circumpolar neighbours, and particularly with Russia, as it will soon take on the chair of the Arctic Council. We also need to manage the many opportunities for economic development in the North in a way that will protect the environment in the long term. Several of Canada’s new national parks will be located in the North, and the Government is committed to ensuring that these parks are managed in cooperation with Aboriginal peoples in a way that protects this vulnerable environment while producing economic benefits for the surrounding communities. Those, Mister Speaker, are the thirteen environmental measures announced in the Speech from the Throne that are helping us to increase the momentum toward environmental sustainability, which is crucial to our quality of life and the competitiveness of our economy. The Government invites Members of Parliament and Senators to join with it in a single democratic spirit to ensure that Canada is a leader of the new industrial revolution, as it has been of other industrial revolutions in the past. Let us help Canada join the sustainable economy revolution to lasting effect.Thank you.
