{"id":24186,"date":"2019-07-04T18:17:54","date_gmt":"2019-07-04T22:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=24186"},"modified":"2019-07-04T18:18:04","modified_gmt":"2019-07-04T22:18:04","slug":"mps-report-combatting-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/mps-report-combatting-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"MP’s REPORT: Combatting Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Leona Alleslev, MP
Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combatting Climate Change <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All federal political parties and most Canadians agree \u2013\nclimate change is real. As responsible stewards of our environment, we must do\nour part to minimize the negative impacts of human activity on our planet. Where\nwe differ is in what that should look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To truly be a comprehensive \u201cenvironmental plan\u201d, a\nCanadian plan must address more than the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.\nWe also need policies to increase energy efficiency, conserve clean water,\nreduce and manage waste including prohibiting the dumping of raw sewage, and\nrestore and maintain parks, wildlife and natural habitats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must also be pragmatic. Canada contributes less than 1.6%\nof the world\u2019s GHG emissions. If Canada\u2019s economy were shut down for one year\nit would take 21 days for China to replace our emissions. Additionally,\nCanada derives over 80% of its GDP from trade and our products compete with\ncountries like China and the US, who have less stringent environmental laws.\nCanada must not implement regulations that price us out of the global market. Our\napproach to safeguarding our environment and mitigating climate change must be balanced\nand realistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental Regulations,\nStandards & Reporting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canada sets a gold-standard when it comes to\nenvironmental regulations, but we can do better. Canada needs to develop new\nGHG emissions regulations<\/em><\/strong> that will set standards for all <\/strong>major emitters to lower GHGs while\nalso driving Canadian businesses towards implementing advanced green technology.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Canadian Clean<\/em><\/strong>brand would give Canadian and global consumers the confidence that\nCanadian products were manufactured with minimal environmental impact. Canadian Clean <\/em>standards would withstand\ninternational scrutiny, and would initially apply to Canada\u2019s oil, gas, and\naluminum exports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regulations must be enforced and accompanied by regular reporting<\/strong>. The UN stated Canada\nwould fall significantly short of our 2018 reduction target. The Federal\nGovernment must measure, audit and frequently report progress to Canadians to\nensure programs deliver results and that we meet our Paris Accord commitments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drawbacks with the current\n\u201cCarbon Tax\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The premise of a carbon tax is that by making driving and\nenergy use more expensive, we will lower consumption. However, many of us drive\nout of necessity. Public transit is rarely an option and where it is, it takes substantially\nlonger than driving. We also don\u2019t heat our homes more than we need and it is\nunlikely we can completely alter the \u201cR value\u201d of our home to make it dramatically\nmore energy efficient. We simply can\u2019t change our behaviour but we must pay a\ntax. The response is a rebate that is neither proportional to the driving we do\nnor the energy we consume. Additionally, the current carbon tax doesn\u2019t apply\nto large polluters that produce significantly more emissions than individual\ncars and households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Innovation, investment\n& leading globally <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canada\nhas shown it is a leading global innovator. By focussing on incentivizing and investing\nin green technology, Canada will become a global\ncentre of environmental excellence<\/strong>. Proposals include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n