Liberal environment critic Kirsty Duncan wrote a letter about the Conservative government’s commitment to protecting Canada’s environment published on June 12.
She focused on many topics, such as our action on climate change and responsible resource development.
Our government has been positioning Canada as a global leader on the environmental front. Our support for innovative projects across the country has made us a leader in the clean-energy sector.
Our commitment to reducing Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has been backed up by taking a number of measures that have seen us halfway towards our goal of reducing these emissions by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020. Air quality in Canada is still among the best in the world and is even improving.
It is difficult to cover all of the accomplishments our government has achieved in these areas in such a limited space, but a sample of important measures taken to reduce GHG emissions include:
• Implementing regulations to improve fuel efficiency and reduce GHG emissions from new on-road heavy-duty vehicles and engines seeing GHG emissions from 2018 model-year heavy-duty vehicles will be reduced by up to 23 per cent.
• Implementing regulations to reduce GHGs from coal-fired electricity plants, which will reduce GHGs by 214 mega tonnes over the period 2015–2035. Canada is the only nation with regulations banning the construction of new coal-fired power plants that use traditional technology.
• Consulting on regulations that will see GHGs from cars and light trucks fall by 50 per cent by 2025.
Responsible resource development has also been a central part of our government’s Economic Action Plan. It has focused on enhancing environmental protection standards, increased pipeline and maritime safety measures, and invested in many projects and initiatives to support resource development and job creation across Canada responsibly.
While the Liberal environment critic chooses to write an article chock-full of unsubstantiated claims on our environmental record, a quick check of the facts proves that our government has been committed to protecting the environment for the benefit of all Canadians, and that commitment has been paying off.
Cathy McLeod, MP
Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo