Report From Parliament's Hill: December 6th

By Prince George - Peace River M.P. Jay Hill

Thursday, December 06, 2007 03:40 AM

REAL Results-based Environmental Leadership

It’s not what you say. It’s what you do. That is what we teach our children and it applies to everyone … including governments.

No matter how many agreements and protocols a government signs, it is the policies implemented and the results achieved that will be judged by its citizens.

Remember that the next time you hear Canada’s opposition parties whine about the failure of the Kyoto Protocol, and as they urge our Conservative Government to put ink to paper on more “agreements” and “communiqués”. While international agreements on any issue are well-intended and can be effective (IF they are realistic and include all parties), they do NOT indicate actual results.

For instance, the Kyoto agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was signed with great fanfare by the former Liberal Government. Alas, it did not include the world’s major polluters. And what did it achieve here at home? The Liberals allowed greenhouse gas emissions to rise an astonishing 33 percent above their own committed Kyoto targets.

Canadians expect and deserve more than just empty talk and signing ceremonies from their government. During the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Uganda and at the United Nation’s climate change conference in Bali this week, our Conservative Government took a strong leadership role in calling for a truly global agreement that compels ALL of the world’s major emitters to do their part to overcome the challenge of climate change.

Contrary to the misinformation that the opposition parties have been spreading, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been receiving accolades both here at home and around the world when it comes to climate change.

Our Government has taken a tough, firm stand in recognizing that without action from the world’s largest emitters, any global agreement on climate change is meaningless. Turning a blind eye to major developing-world emitters for example, might make for good politics, but it does NOT reduce global emissions.

We also know that leadership starts at home. That’s why the Conservative Government is implementing a plan to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020!

This includes MANDATORY emissions targets on industry (for the first time in history); increased fuel efficiency standards on cars and light trucks, and improved energy efficiency standards for products ranging from commercial appliances to light bulbs.

We have invested over $1.5-BILLION to the provinces for action on green technology; $230-million for the ecoEnergy technology initiative; $150-million for Arctic climate research; and $15-million for the Canada School of Sustainable Energy.

We invested $93-million in Budget 2007 towards clean water and we are cleaning up our rivers, lakes and streams with tough new regulations for sewage. We have invested $375-million in conservation programs, such as the Nahanni National Park and the Great Bear Rainforest. We are also getting tough on those who poach, plunder and pollute with 100 more enforcement officers on the ground.

This is an historic hard-hitting strategy that includes investment as well as enforcement. The time for empty government rhetoric on the Environment ended when Canadians elected a Conservative Government nearly two years ago.

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Posted on Thursday, December 06, 2007 03:40 AM in Views by Prince George - Peace River M.P. Jay Hill

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Comments

Posted by: Chadermando on December 6 2007 6:55 AM

You can see the difference in the emission levels in the BC polluters where one mill will have 6-10 times the emission intensity of a similar mill with the same out put. So yes I think intensity based solutions should be the answer and not a blanket cap on the economy in general that penalizes good projects and rewards existing polluters.

http://carma.org/region/detail/597

Posted by: truthd on December 6 2007 11:06 AM

I get a lot of flack from friends about Mr. Harper's enviro cred, what awards and accolades has it received at home and abroad so I can throw them in my friends' faces?

Posted by: astro on December 6 2007 11:54 AM

Jay Hill says, "It�s not what you say. It�s what you do." And that sums up what this federal government has done. He knows talk is cheap and he (they) do very little. It is an embarrassment around the world.

Posted by: diplomat on December 6 2007 1:24 PM

"The time for empty government rhetoric on the Environment ended when Canadians elected a Conservative Government nearly two years ago."

Had the Conservatives been in power (and not the Liberals) during the years that the Alberta tar sands development forged ahead at a dizzying pace the emissions from that new industry would have made it just as impossible for the Conservatives to make any significant headway with Kyoto as it did for the Liberals!

To keep suggesting otherwise makes no sense except with a political agenda, which doesn't have to worry about a simple thing such as facts!

No way would the federal Conservatives have stepped into the controversy of confronting a Conservative province of Alberta with a demand that the tar sands development must be halted since Kyoto comes first!

Natural gas is used to literally cook the oil out of the sand! Stop burning these vast amounts of one fossil fuel to extract another GG fossil fuel and Canada's Kyoto targets will get much closer within range!

Go ahead, Mr. Hill, legislate a shutdown of the Alberta tar sands industry until the planned new nuclear reactors come on line there!

"The Liberals allowed greenhouse gas emissions to rise an astonishing 33 percent above their own committed Kyoto targets."

Yes, and you know where all the extra pollution came from!

Smoke and mirrors and a gullible public - perfect for political gobbledeegook!

Posted by: unlisted on December 6 2007 2:33 PM

I find it amusing that J. Hill talks about �misinformation� in this report. He states, �Canadians expect and deserve more than just empty talk. During the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Uganda and at the United Nation�s climate change conference in Bali � our Conservative Government took a strong leadership role�to overcome the challenge of climate change�
According to the Canadian Press at the Kampala conference,
� some foreign diplomats were so disgusted that they sought out Canadian journalists to tell them what their country was doing behind closed doors.�
One diplomat called the Harper approach �a perfect recipe for making sure nothing happens�.
Talk about misinformation. This government is all about misinformation and closed door meetings concerning the future of Canada�s natural recourses, and our role in global politics.

Posted by: unlisted on December 6 2007 2:35 PM

should say resources

Posted by: diplomat on December 7 2007 7:41 AM

"...Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been receiving accolades both here at home and around the world when it comes to climate change."

Identical to the international *accolades* that G.W.Bush's environmental ignorance is receiving , one has to assume.

Australia finally signed on, leaving only the USA and Japan as the only *out of touch* countries.

Posted by: Chester on December 8 2007 4:29 PM

Why is it that so many people continue to criticize what hasn't been done rather than focus on what has been done.

This current government has done more in their short term in office than previous governments have done in 10 years. This government is more concerned with actually doing something rather than blowing smoke to keep reporters happy. I commend them for their honesty and their efforts. Chester

Posted by: diplomat on December 8 2007 5:55 PM

Mr. Hill provokes criticism with his so-called reports which are in my opinion mostly hype and political bluster since he is not allowed to do anything but post the permitted slogans de jour of the Conservative Party.

Posted by: Palopu on December 8 2007 7:31 PM

As usual we have a bunch of ill informed people nattering about subjects they know little about/ Its pretty obvious that those who are knocking Hill and the Conservatives, are die hard NDP'ERS or Liberals. Not that there is a big difference between the two.

It matters little what other Countries were saying in Uganda, because like the Liberals they were there for the Dog and Pony show, and had little to offer other than handshaking, backslapping, and waving.

Harpers postion on emmissions is correct. We have to get all Countries on board, otherwise it will not work. The big pollutors are the Middle East, Russia, China, Mexico, and of course the USA and Canada.

I notice that a lot of the posts here always try to make a connection between Harper and Bush, even though it was Chretian and Martin, that cooked all the deals between Canada and the USA. The NDP of course can say anything they want because Federally they will never form a Government, and will never have an opportunity to discuss any matter with a USA or any other Countries President, with the possible exception of Hugo Chavez.

Lets be a little more realistic. Do people really beleive that Harper and his wife, are raising their children totally unaware of the dangers of pollution, and that they will do nothing about it? Highly unlikely. Why would Harper be anymore or less concerned than the rest of us??