Mr. Chair and members of the committee,
It is my pleasure to be here today to discuss a number of environmental issues, including the new Canadian government's commitment to protecting the health of Canadians and their environment.
1. Commissioner's Report
I would like to begin my presentation today by discussing the report from the Commissioner of the Environment.
I would like to thank the Commissioner for her report and her recommendations, which she released last week. This report is very timely, as it comes at a critical juncture for Canada.
We are now at a crossroads in terms of the protection of the health and environment of Canadians. We are also at a crossroads when it comes to environmental protection and enforcement, which have been long talked about, but not acted upon.
As everybody now knows, the report demonstrates that to tackle climate change, neither advertising campaigns nor international preening can substitute for action.
What Canadians got from the old government was a lot of talk, but few results. Fortunately, Canadians elected a new government, and what they will get from us is action.
The Commissioner commented in her report that she was troubled over the previous government's long-standing failure to make progress on the issue of climate change.
The Commissioner clearly stated that there was a lack of credibility, monitoring, and reporting in the previous government's plans.
The most disturbing thing is that after spending over a billion dollars, there were still no results for the environment!
Last week, I think some were surprised to hear the harsh truth from the Commissioner that due to Liberal inaction, Canada is not on track to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.
However, the Commissioner confirmed what we already knew. On Tuesday, when the Commissioner appeared before this committee, she said, "It has become more and more obvious that Canada cannot meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments to reduce greenhouse gases. In fact, instead of decreasing, greenhouse gas emissions in Canada have increased by 27 percent since 1990."
In addition, there were concerns about the arbitrary targets set by the previous government. The Commissioner said, "When we looked at where the 6% below 1990 came from, it was obvious that there was no sound analysis to support that
The federal government picked that number based on what the U.S. was going to go for. That's clear, no doubt about it."
It appears that about as much thinking went into that target as went into the expensive programs that the previous government developed to help Canada meet the target.
It's time for a new chapter and a new approach.
This new approach will address the real priorities of Canadians in a tangible and accountable way. Our approach will deliver clean air to Canadians to protect their health while also making genuine progress on reducing greenhouse gases emissions, as well as other contaminants that are harmful to our health.
I am looking forward to announcing soon a real, responsible approach that actually delivers a healthy environment for all of us.
Commissioner's Recommendations
As Commissioner Gélinas recommended, a new approach is needed, based on leadership, accountability, and measurable results - and we agree with these recommendations. These are the key dimensions of our approach and that is why we will succeed where previous governments have failed.
The Commissioner identified a number of areas to focus on, and our government is already taking these into consideration.
Leadership
In the area of leadership, I am pleased to tell you that the environment is a government-wide priority, led by our Prime Minister. I am working with a number of my Cabinet colleagues, including the Ministers of Health; Natural Resources; Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities; Industry; Finance; and Indian Affairs and Northern Development as we roll out our initiatives.
Energy and Climate Change
It is important that all sectors be involved in addressing the issues facing us, and that includes the energy sector. We will continue to consult and collaborate with all economic sectors as we move forward.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Our approach will see reductions not only in air pollution, but also in greenhouse gases.
Throughout her report, Commissioner Gélinas pointed out the importance of the transportation and industry sectors to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She noted that the previous government failed in this respect. By contrast, our government is committed to succeeding.
Specifically, I was encouraged to see that the Commissioner saw the inadequacy in the Liberal approach, which relied on unaccountable voluntary measures.
Adaptation
A realistic and effective plan to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions must also include appropriate policies, strategies and measures to build up Canadians' capacity to adapt to climate change. Environment Canada is in a position to lead and collaborate with others on scientific, technical and socio-economic impacts.
Governance and Accountability
Governance and Accountability is another issue that the Commissioner placed a high priority on. The committee members know that accountability is also of paramount importance to this government.
Canadians demand accountability on the environment, and we will deliver. Accountability consists of having clear goals, being able to measure progress, and transparently reporting results to Canadians.
Monitoring
Canada doesn't currently have a systematic way of measuring air quality, and the previous government did not make use of leading technology that could measure the pollution released into the environment in real time.
The previous government also didn't develop a systematic way to link environmental performance in Canada with the impacts on human health, especially with respect to air pollution. That is why our air is in poor condition and why our health is suffering. This is unacceptable to our government.
Reporting
In the past, Canadians were not provided with clear, comprehensive information on environmental performance. This is simply unacceptable. Through clear reporting, our government will be able to show real progress to Canadians.
Enforcement
Accountability also means that when the rules are broken, polluters are held accountable. For years, prosecutions of violations were rare under the previous government. In the isolated cases of conviction, the penalties were weak and often inconsequential. Cases were frequently settled for absurdly low amounts of money.
For too long, federal prosecutors gave the environment too low a profile, and made it too low a priority. Enforcement consisted of issuing warnings, rather than taking action. Canadians would agree that this is unacceptable.
2. Health - Number One Issue of Concern to Canadians
While the Commissioner's report is important, I also want to address a number of issues of concern to Canadians. Canadians are concerned about growing rates of asthma and cancer from environmental sources.
The Commissioner's report focused on climate change, and our government is addressing that issue. However, in addition to the previous government's lack of action on climate change, another troubling aspect was the lack of political will to address air quality, which is the number one environmental concern of Canadians.
That is why my main priority is to protect the health of Canadians.
Canadians have reason to be worried. We all know someone who suffers from the effects of air pollution; it is an issue that touches every family.
The Lung Association has confirmed that air pollution has a significant impact on health. It irritates, inflames, and destroys lung tissue and weakens the lung's defenses against contaminants. Even low levels of air pollution can cause health problems.
In the Lung Association's national report card on pulmonary disease, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, the association stated that pulmonary disease is not only caused by smoking, but also by exposure to outdoor air pollution.
Smog and poor air quality continue to cause thousands of deaths each year and hundreds of thousands of severe episodes of asthma and bronchitis, particularly among children and the elderly. During an average year, exposure to air pollution results in an estimated 60,000 emergency room visits and 17,000 hospital admissions in Ontario alone (Source: Ontario Medical Association).
Air pollution is now a factor in 1 out of every 12 deaths in Canada!
Poor air quality also remains one of the most serious threats to biodiversity, forests and fresh water ecosystems.
We know that the direct and indirect costs of air pollution on health and the environment are in the billions of dollars. In Ontario alone, damages were estimated at:
$374 million in lost productivity and work time;
$507 million in direct health care costs;
$537 million in pain and suffering due to non-fatal illness; and
$6.4 billion in economic loss due to premature death.
This total is expected to increase to over $11 billion by 2026.
These are all compelling reasons for us to take action to reduce air emissions and make our air cleaner.
A report issued in August this year by the David Suzuki Foundation called The Air We Breathe stated, "There is strong evidence that air pollution is the most harmful environmental problem in Canada in terms of human health effects, causing thousands of deaths, millions of illnesses, billions of dollars in health care expenses, and tens of billions of dollars in lost productivity every year."
A National Approach
That is why this government is taking a strong stance on removing the pollutants from our air by introducing national legislation.
Unfortunately, in the past decade, Canada's performance on the environment has lagged behind that of our international counterparts. The Sustainable Planning Research Group at Simon Fraser University completed a study in 2004 using data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The study examined 29 key environmental indicators and Canada's environmental performance ranked an embarrassing 28 out of 30 countries.
In this same study, the United States performed better than us in a number of areas, including the emissions of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and carbon monoxide.
Canada's performance on greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 has also lagged behind that of the United States in terms of percentage increases in greenhouse gas emissions.
We are committed to doing better on all of these fronts.
That is why this will be the first time that the federal government will put in place a broad national framework to achieve real reductions in air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
In the past, the government relied on a patchwork approach. This was a major failure. The previous government's strategy of throwing money at the problem simply didn't work.
Canada's new government promised a cleaner and healthier environment. We will deliver strong legislation and a real action plan that achieves real results and measurable reductions in air pollution and greenhouse gases.
Air quality is a national concern in Canada, as air knows no boundaries. Therefore, we need national legislation, national objectives, and national standards.
3. Action Taken
We have a mandate from Canadians to act and that is what we will continue to do. We have already delivered in a number of areas.
Transit Tax and Infrastructure
As you know, transportation is one of the leading causes of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. Our new government invested $1.3 billion in public transit and infrastructure. This funding will assist in the building of the infrastructure necessary to deal with increased ridership.
Starting July 1st this year, our government provided a transit rider tax credit. This means transit riders who buy monthly passes will receive almost two months free transit per year. For example, the credit could be worth as much as $635 a year for a commuter in Barrie travelling to work in downtown Toronto.
Renewable Fuels
Renewable energy has great potential for providing clean alternatives for power. This government is helping Canadians make cleaner fuel choices by increasing the average renewable fuel content in gasoline and diesel fuels to 5 per cent by 2010. This target is more stringent than the US, and it is on par with our European partners.
Increasing the renewable energy content of fuels can help us achieve numerous objectives. From the standpoint of environmental conservation, 5% renewable content in engine fuels will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
These actions the transit rider tax credit, the transit infrastructure, and the 5% renewable content will have tangible results. They will promote increased public transit usage, which will help both reduce traffic congestion in our urban centres, and will reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. These actions will be equivalent to taking 1.5 million cars off the roads year after year.
According to the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, there will be a 4.2 megatonne per year reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions. There will also be 10,000 direct and indirect jobs created and $600 million of annual economic activity added to the Canadian economy when the ethanol and biodiesel production facilities are up and running.
Toxics
Canadians are increasingly concerned about their exposure to toxic substances, including the low dose chemicals in their food and the pharmaceuticals in their water. Our government has already taken significant steps to protect the health of Canadians by taking action on a number of toxic substances.
We have taken action to regulate two harmful substances used in the production of some commonly used stain repellents and fire retardants Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs).
We have also introduced a measure to reduce the amount of mercury in Canada's atmosphere by 10 tonnes over the next 10 years by removing mercury switches from scrap cars before they are recycled. Mercury is a highly toxic substance that can cause serious human health and ecological effects.
In addition, Canada is the first country in the world to publish an action plan addressing certain toxic chemicals found to be sources of perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs). Such substances are commonly used as water and grease repellents for materials such as paper, fabric, leather and carpets. PFCAs are transboundary in nature, which means they can travel long distances through the atmosphere and via ocean currents.
As many of you know, the Conservative Mulroney government took action in 1985 to begin removing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the environment. Our new government has also set in place a regulatory plan that will remove 50% of the PCBs still in use and 100% of PCBs currently in storage.
Many of these substances that we have taken action on have been linked to cancer, blindness, and birth defects, to name just a few of the health effects.
It is clear that this government is committed to taking concrete action on toxic substances, and this is only the beginning. On September 14th of this year, Canada became the first country in the world to complete a full review to assess the risks to human health posed by all 23,000 chemical substances in use or produced in Canada prior to 1994. This is a significant milestone to protect the health of Canadians.
In the near future, our government will be releasing a comprehensive action plan to build on this tremendous achievement and take further action to protect the health of Canadians.
Earlier this month, the Canadian Cancer Society applauded our government's action on this important issue, saying, "We welcome this action
We believe that Canadians should not be exposed to cancer-causing substances in the environment
It was heartening to see many groups come together on this important review and we hope this collaboration continues."
Conclusion
Now is the time for action. We are demonstrating to Canadians that Canada's new government is making progress on improving the environment in which they live, work, and play.
We will continue to show progress to Canadians in tangible ways. We have lagged behind our international counterparts for too long, and that must change.
Finally, before we open up the floor to questions, I would like to thank each of the committee members for the hard work you are doing here in committee, especially on the CEPA review. I have heard through my Parliamentary Secretary that the Committee has done excellent work in scoping issues for consideration during this Review and I appreciate your cooperation.
As you know, CEPA is an important piece of environmental legislation and we hope that together we can work on making it even better.
Thank you.
