On The Hill

On June 22, 2007, Bill C-288, the Kyoto Implementation Act received Royal Assent and became Canadian law. The bill says that the government must put in place measures that are necessary to meet our international Kyoto commitment. It also creates climate change accountability by requiring the government to report on its actions.

Parliament adopted Bill C-288 because the government was not acting on climate change. In their first year in office, Conservatives repeatedly tried to distract MPs and the public with flashy one-off announcements that did not deal with the overall challenge of capping our domestic greenhouse gas emissions.

Thanks to Bill C-288, by August 21, the government must create a draft plan to meet Kyoto and refer it to the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. The Round Table then has sixty days to study the plan, consult the public, and advise the government. On October 30, the government must publish a final statement on the plan. The Round Table – whose diverse members include people from the business, government, environmental advocacy, and expert communities – reviews the statement and advises the government on it. This advice must be published by December 2.

Under the Kyoto Implementation Act, by December 19, 2007 the Government of Canada must implement a plan to “ensure that Canada fully meets its obligations” under the Kyoto Protocol. The plan may be updated by the end of May 2008 and in June 2009, the Environment Commissioner will do an analysis of the effectiveness of the plan to that point.

Government Suppresses Bill C-30

While C-288 lays the framework for accountability on climate change, Bill C-30 gives the government specific tools to deliver real greenhouse gas reductions from large industry, motor vehicles, and energy-efficiency.

Formerly called the Clean Air Act, the all-party C-30 legislative committee amended the weak original act to include robust action on climate change and air pollution. The revised bill, known as the Clean Air and Climate Change Act, passed committee on March 31, 2007. Since then, the government has refused to bring it to the House of Commons for debate and a vote, defying the will of the democratic majority in the House.

Bill C-30 includes most of the Liberal National Carbon Budget proposals made by Opposition Leader Stephane Dion in March. Unlike proposals made by any other party, the Liberal proposal taps the innovative skills of Canadian businesses to cause them to reduce their own emissions. Instead of taxing or penalizing business, it puts polluters money into a Green Investment Account that the polluter must use to reduce its own emissions. This plan creates every incentive for economic and environmental benefits to go hand in hand.

The government has a choice whether it denies Parliament’s will with both C-288 and with C-30. I will continue to fight for a commitment to a clear, workable environmental plan.