Parliamentary Speeches

Mr. Speaker, our government put a price on carbon pollution to ensure clean air, fewer emissions and more money in people's pockets. As the carbon price increases, payments also increase, leaving the majority of Canadians with more money in their pockets. While the Conservatives want to take us backward to a time when it was free to pollute, our government will continue to move forward with practical and affordable solutions for Canadians to cut pollution and create good jobs.

Mr. Speaker, Environment and Climate Change Canada is continuing its work with a number of federal departments and agencies to develop a comprehensive framework and guidance to assess whether a non-tax measure may constitute an “inefficient fossil fuel subsidy”. The department is finalizing its criteria for determining “inefficiency” and is conducting ongoing consultations as part of the process. ECCC recognizes that the issues of economic, social and environmental sustainability are important considerations, and the framework and guidance will include those considerations. The department will assess how to strike a balance between the issues of economic, social and environmental sustainability. ECCC and the Department of Finance are working together to finalize the framework and guidance to identify and assess relevant measures in order to fulfill the G20 commitment. Canada recently committed to accelerate the timing of its G20 commitment to phase out or rationalize inefficient fossil fuel subsidies from 2025 to 2023. A report listing Canada’s inefficient fossil fuel subsidies is being developed and will be submitted to a panel of experts as part of Canada’s G20 peer review process with Argentina.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and all her work on environmental issues and climate change over the past few years. I think she and I agree, along with governments around the world, that we have to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for environmental reasons, for climate reasons, to create the jobs we need in the near and far future and, of course, to reduce our dependence on countries like Russia.

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague talks about leadership. In the last four years, our government has done the most of any government to fight climate change. We have invested $100 billion and introduced over 100 measures to fight climate change. We fought for carbon pricing all the way to the Supreme Court, something our government, hers and mine, fought for. Leadership on climate change is on this side of the House.

Mr. Speaker, the IPCC report shows what people around the world have known for a long time, that countries need to take bold action to fight climate change. We continue to cut emissions, and we have cut 30 million tonnes since we have come into power. That is almost half of Quebec's entire emissions, which we managed to reduce because of the hundreds of measures we have put in place, and because of the $100 billion in investments. However, we recognize, as the members opposite do, that we need to do more.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The IPCC report confirms what people around the world already know. Every country needs to do more, be more ambitious, to mitigate and adapt to climate change. We need to continue to lower emissions and build resilience. This is why our government has already invested $2.3 billion in climate change adaptation and more than $100 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the past few years. Every single one of us, both here in Canada and around the world, must do more.

Mr. Speaker, the IPCC report shows what people around the world already know: that countries need to take bold action to tackle climate change and adapt actions to fight climate change. We must cut our emissions and build resiliency through our society. Canadians cannot afford another term of Conservative inaction on this file. Since we took office in 2015, our government has committed more than $100 billion to climate action, and we are now developing Canada's first-ever national adaptation strategy.

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague that through carbon pricing we went all the way to the Supreme Court against four provinces, including his province and my own, to fight to ensure we could use one of the best tools to fight climate change, which is carbon pricing. We are still unfortunately fighting in the courts against some provinces to continue to be able to fight for Canadians and for the health of our children and grandchildren when it comes to climate change.

Mr. Speaker, I have asked my hon. colleague this before, and he still has not answered. I would like him to show me a country in the world that has done more in the last four or five years than we have to fight climate change. There have been more than 100 measures, $100 billion of investment, regulations on methane, clean-fuel standards and electricity. These are all things we are doing, and we have so much more to do.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague from Kings—Hants on his continuing efforts to speak French in the House. I would like to remind him that over the past few years, our government has implemented more than 100 measures and invested $100 billion in the fight against climate change. As he mentioned, I will be tabling a plan in the House that will include many new commitments in the fight against climate change, including a net-zero emitting electricity grid by 2035, a zero-emissions act also by 2035, and a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector.

Mr. Speaker, with respect to (a), the proposed clean fuel regulations, referred hereafter as the proposed regulations, will result in an increased demand for lower carbon intensity, CI, fuels in Canada, which could be met by increased imports and/or increased domestic production. The government has established a $1.5 billion clean fuels fund to support the domestic production of lower CI fuels to help regulated parties come into compliance under the proposed regulations at lower cost and to incent domestic investment. The regulatory impact analysis statement that will accompany the final regulations will include quantitative estimates of the volumes of renewable fuels that will be used to comply with the regulations. These estimates will be based on the final design of the regulations, which are expected to be published in spring 2022. With respect to ethanol in gasoline, current levels of domestically produced ethanol are insufficient to meet E15, where gasoline is blended with 15% ethanol at a national level, in Canada in 2030. It is expected that domestic production will increase. It is also possible that Canada could import the additional volumes of ethanol needed. With respect to biodiesel and hydrogenation derived renewable diesel, HDRD, in diesel, it is possible that domestic production of biodiesel could meet the additional volumes of lower CI diesel needed. Canada currently produces enough biodiesel domestically to meet domestic demand; however, Canadian producers export a significant portion of domestically produced biodiesel to the United States. With respect to (b), the regulatory impact analysis statement that accompanied the proposed regulations used interim national average life-cycle assessment carbon intensity values in the calculation of credits. These life-cycle assessment carbon intensity values were determined based on Canadian data and other life-cycle assessment tools, and were compared to fuel pathways submitted to the regulators in British Columbia and California. The regulatory impact analysis statement that will accompany the final regulations will include quantitative estimates based on the final design of the regulations. The final regulations are expected to be published in spring 2022. With respect to (c), the proposed regulations would require liquid fossil fuel primary suppliers, i.e., producers and importers, to reduce the carbon intensity of the liquid fossil fuels they produce and import for use in Canada from 2016 CI levels by 2.4 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy, gCO2e/MJ, in 2022, increasing to 12 gCO2e/MJ in 2030. With respect to (d), the clean fuel standard is expected to have a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The regulatory impact analysis statement that will accompany the final regulations will include quantitative estimates of GHG emission impacts based on the final design of the regulations. The final regulations are expected to be published in spring 2022.

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), while there is no commonly held definition, there has been a general understanding that fossil fuel subsidies encompass price controls, cash subsidies and tax preferences—i.e., concessions from a particular country’s “normal” level of taxation—whether aimed at producers or consumers of fossil fuel. The term “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies also lacks a commonly accepted definition and was not defined in any of the four pairs of G20 peer reviews completed to date. Environment and Climate Change Canada and Finance Canada are working to finalize an assessment framework that will define these terms in the Canadian context. In response to (b), there is a clear cost from a changing climate, so it cannot be free to pollute. That is why the Government of Canada introduced a price on carbon pollution across Canada in 2019. Putting a price on carbon pollution reduces emissions and encourages innovation, allowing Canada to meet its economic needs and its environmental goals at the same time. The price on carbon pollution is currently $40 per tonne. It will increase annually until it reaches $170 per tonne in 2030. The increasing price will make cleaner options more affordable and discourage pollution-intensive investments. As the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed, the Government of Canada’s carbon pricing system is not a tax. Carbon pricing is a key part of the government’s approach to reducing emissions while supporting the transition to a competitive, low-carbon economy. It is not the only measure being used, however, and the government has therefore not projected what carbon price would be needed in the absence of other measures to achieve either its 2030 national determined commitment of 40% to 45% reduction below 2005 levels or its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. In response to (c), the actions taken by this government to address climate change, including through the strengthened climate plan and the important announcements made at COP26, are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to the harmful effects of climate change while growing our economy. The environment and the economy go hand in hand.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada recognized that climate change is one of the great challenges of our times and that to thrive in a net-zero world, Canada must do its part to reduce emissions and ensure that the transition to clean growth is just and equitable. As these are still early days, the government is seeking the input of the net-zero advisory body on key principles for implementing the emissions targets for oil and gas, and is engaging key stakeholders, including provinces and territories, representatives from the oil and gas industry, non-governmental organizations and our indigenous partners. The recently published Alberta Energy Transition study, conducted for Calgary Economic Development and Global Edmonton, notes that the global energy transition could create 170,000 jobs in Alberta alone and contribute $61 billion to the province's gross domestic product, GDP, by 2050. The government is also aware of studies such as the one released by TD Economics, including their conclusion that the transition to net zero will create new job opportunities, and their recommended framework for transitioning to clean energy employment. The Clean Resource Innovation Network commissioned the Global Advantage Consulting Group Inc. to conduct a study on the level of research and development expenditures in the industry. The study found that the domestic oil patch is the largest spender on clean technology in Canada, accounting for 75 per cent of the $1.4 billion spent annually. The Government of Canada believes that there is enormous opportunity for the industry to help lead Canada’s clean-tech transformation, and will be mindful of that as it works to develop the way forward. The government has every expectation that its discussions with key partners such as provinces and territories and other stakeholders will allow it to forge a path to decarbonization in the oil and gas sector to meet Canada’s net-zero-by-2050 target, and not only protect Canadian jobs but grow them in a new era of sustainable prosperity.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada and Natural Resources Canada have initiated engagements with provinces and territories, indigenous peoples, industry, and other Canadians. These discussions will take place over winter and spring 2022 and will help inform the design of the approach to implementing the Prime Minister’s commitment to cap and reduce total emissions from the oil and gas sector to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Until the measure has been designed, it is premature to estimate economic impacts. Assuming that the measure will include regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, a regulatory impact analysis statement will be prepared and published in the Canada Gazette. A regulatory impact analysis statement provides information regarding the costs and benefits of the regulations as well as other information, such as who will be affected, who was consulted in developing the regulations, and how the government will evaluate and measure the performance of the regulations against objectives.

Mr. Speaker, departments and agencies that generate greenhouse gas, GHG, emissions in excess of one kilotonne per year from air travel have been required since 2019-20 to contribute annually to the greening government fund, GGF, www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/innovation/greening-government/greening-gov-fund.html. They have been charged a TBS-set fee based on the average total annual air travel emissions of that organization over the previous three years.

Mr. Speaker, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada provided advice to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change with respect to the potential for existing legislative mechanisms to address adverse effects from the Pitt Meadows Road and rail project. The agency understands that diesel emissions resulting from the project would be managed through the following provincial and federal legislation: the Province of British Columbia’s Environmental Management Act, 2021, Part 6, Clean Air Provisions; the federal locomotive emissions regulations, 2017, under the Railway Safety Act; and the federal sulphur in diesel fuel regulations, 2002, under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite well knows, the world of energy is changing all around the world. We are seeing record levels of investment in clean technologies and renewable energy. In fact, if we look at which part of Canada is receiving the most investment in renewable energy, it is not my home province of Quebec, and it is not Ontario or British Columbia. It is in Alberta that we are seeing record levels of investment in renewable energy. This is what the future will look like.

Madam Speaker, as I was saying, as a young activist, I worked for two years for the Canadian Human Rights Foundation, and I am proud to stand on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to thank the member for Mississauga—Streetsville for her question. I am pleased to say that Canada has imposed additional sanctions today on entities affiliated with Myanmar's military regime. Today's announcement sent a clear message to the people of Myanmar that their resilience and quest for democracy and civil rights will not be diminished.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country for raising this important issue and for doing so in French. In the last election, Canadians clearly told us that they wanted the government to move faster and do more to address climate change. Whether it is our 2030 targets, reaching net zero by 2050, protecting 25% of our lands and oceans by 2025 and 30% by 2030, building greener homes and housing, or shifting to electrified transportation and public transit, that is the agenda we set for Canadians—

Madam Speaker, let me reassure the hon. member that the commitment of our government is to phase out fossil fuel subsidies that are aimed at increasing the production of said fossil fuels. Going forward, we will support every industrial sector, every sector of our economy, to decarbonize. We will be helping the cement sector, the aluminum sector and the auto sector. We will also be helping the oil and gas sector to decarbonize and reduce emissions so that Canada can reach its net-zero target and obviously our 2030 target.

Madam Speaker, I beg to differ on many of the assumptions that the member has made, but I will speak specifically to the issue of fossil fuel subsidies. I will say to this House and to the member that Canada remains committed to phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, as was committed to by G20 countries in Pittsburgh in 2009, and that we committed to do so two years earlier than our G20 partners. These countries had committed to do this by 2025, and we will be doing this by 2023. To support Canada's efforts to fulfill its commitment, we have committed to undergo a peer review of those subsidies under the G20 process. Argentina will be doing that on behalf of Canada. Once the process is completed, the results will be communicated in a transparent and timely manner. Canada has already made significant progress towards meeting its commitment to phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. Since 2007, the government has taken action to phase out eight tax measures supporting the fossil fuel sector. However, beyond Canada's commitment to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, the government also believes that creating good, well-paying jobs in the low-carbon economy and ensuring that workers have the right tools and skills essential to building a sustainable and prosperous future for Canada is a priority. Simply put, we cannot achieve climate action and the transition to a low-carbon economy without putting people first. To empower workers and communities through the transition, we must address the immediate challenges of jobs and economic growth in ways that establish the foundation for long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability. The Government of Canada is delivering on this commitment by continuing to support workers and communities impacted by the phase-out of coal, and we are launching engagement on just transition legislation to ensure that workers and communities will thrive in a carbon-constrained world. We are also making significant investment in skills training to ensure workers are able to succeed in the low-carbon economy. The measures detailed in budget 2021 are expected to deliver almost 500,000 new training and work opportunities for Canadians. Canada cannot reach net-zero emissions by 2050 without the participation, know-how and innovation ideas of all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank my esteemed colleague for her decades-long activism on this file. I am making this address from my service vehicle, a 100% electric vehicle, in transit to Ottawa, which is not to make a statement about my street cred on environmental issues but I would simply point that out. My government wishes to thank the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development for his work and his report. As my colleague for Saanich—Gulf Islands knows very well, we have made tremendous progress when it comes to climate change. Let us go back to our earlier years of activism to COP1 in 1995 where very few people were paying attention to this. We only had one IPCC report that started to point to the fact that humans were causing global warming, and the only thing that countries could agree upon in Berlin in 1995 was that the commitments that we had made in Rio in 1992 were inadequate. Twenty-five years ago in Berlin, the only thing the countries could agree on was the fact that the commitments made in Rio to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions to their 1990 levels by 2000 were inadequate. Those commitments did not include any emissions reduction targets, no international mechanism to combat climate change, or any dedicated funding mechanism by the industrialized countries to help developing countries adapt to climate change. I attended the Glasgow summit a few weeks ago as the new Minister of Environment and Climate Change. More than 50,000 people attend those conferences, and it is no longer just government negotiators, NGO representatives and scientists. At these meetings, we now have representatives from civil society, indigenous organizations, labour, municipalities, businesses and the financial sector, as well as innovators and investors. They are all saying that they want to be part of this and they want to be part of the solution, which is something we have never seen before. To say that nothing has happened when looking at all of the initiatives that have taken place at the municipal level, in our communities, in many provinces over the years and, frankly, all around the world is to deny the fact that the world has started to tackle climate change. Now, clearly, as the commissioner's report points out, we need to do more. There is an international agreement on the fact that we need to do more, which was recognized in Glasgow, which is recognized in many of the IPCC reports and which is certainly recognized in the commissioner's report. As I am sure my colleague has read the commissioner's report, she will know that the report did not study the 2016 pan-Canadian framework plan on climate change that our government presented in 2016, or the enhanced climate plan that was presented in 2020. The commissioner did not study the 100 or so measures that have been introduced by our government since 2016 as well as the $100 billion that we are currently investing in Canada. I will finish up on this. As our last inventories have shown, we have managed to flatten the curve to 2030. We have taken out more than 30 million tonnes of CO2 greenhouse emissions that would have been in the atmosphere. That is almost equivalent to half of Quebec's overall emissions. So, our plan is working, but we need to accelerate it.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague. She is right. The objective in everything we do has to be a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric concentrations. As she is well aware, our latest records clearly show that we have started to do that. However, I agree with her. We must pick up the pace and do more. That is the message we got from Canadians in the last election. Canadians told us they wanted us to do more when it comes to climate change and to do it faster, which is why we have committed to present additional measures in the fight against climate change in Canada. We will not stop until we have achieved it. I am of the opinion that the last inventory we saw shows that it is the last time emissions will grow in Canada. From now on, we will see emissions continue to go down in this country as long as our government and subsequent governments continue to do what needs to be done to ensure that we achieve the targets.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague for his question. However, I would invite him to read very carefully the report from the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, which clearly shows that his analysis pertains to the years before our government took office. The commissioner himself acknowledged that he did not look at the 100-some measures we put in place in our 2016 and 2020 action plans, namely, the $100 billion or so that we invested in recent years. I look forward to seeing the environment commissioner's next report, which we hope will focus on the measures that we have implemented to reduce pollution in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that we already have one of the highest carbon prices in the world. In terms of carbon pricing, we have surpassed Quebec, California and British Columbia, and we will surpass Europe in 2022. Of all the countries in the world, especially oil- and gas-producing countries, Canada has the highest target for reducing emissions of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas. We have also decided to cap greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector, which no other oil-producing country has done so far.

Mr. Speaker, I would invite my hon. colleague to actually read the report from the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, which clearly shows that he did not look at the measures we have deployed since 2016 to fight climate change in Canada. In fact, his report points out that under the Harper government there was nothing done on climate change in Canada. The commissioner acknowledges that he did not look at the hundred measures we put in place since 2016, the hundreds of billions of dollars we have invested to fight climate in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I would point out to my colleague that the last inventory, Canada's greenhouse gas inventory, actually shows that without our government action and thanks to the inheritance from the Harper government on climate change, emissions in 2030 would be 30 million tonnes higher than they would have been without our intervention. That is almost half the emissions of all of Quebec. Our plan is working and we will continue on with implementing it.

Mr. Speaker, we welcome the report from the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development. We commend his work, especially his latest report, which paints a truly dismal picture of the Harper years. The commissioner did not look at our 2016 plan or our 2020 plan, or the 100 or so measures we have put in place, or the nearly $100 billion we have invested. All of these measures will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 million tonnes by 2030. That is equal to nearly half of Quebec's emissions.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pontiac and congratulate her on her impressive career at the OECD before joining our ranks. Canada has done a lot of work on combatting climate change. I could talk about everything that we achieved in Glasgow, such as the $5.3 billion for developing countries, including $1 billion to help the poorest countries reduce their dependence on coal, and the $1 billion for nature-based solutions. Nevertheless, like other countries around the world, Canada still has a long way to go in the fight against climate change.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. I would like to make a few points. She talked about coal. She should know that Canada now has legislation to phase out coal-fired electricity by 2030. She should also know that it took us just a few years to implement one of the planet's highest prices on pollution. Our price is higher than Quebec's, British Columbia's and California's. Next year, it will even be higher than the European Union's, whose system was introduced about 15 years ago. I would like to know if she is aware that our government has invested a historic $25 billion in public transit in this country. Across Canada, 300 public transit projects are currently under construction, and another 1,000 are in the approval process. As to fossil fuel subsidies, our government has pledged to eliminate them two years earlier than all our G20 partners. The G20 target for eliminating fossil fuel subsidies is 2025. Our target is 2023. No other G20 country has committed to doing it before 2025.

Mr. Speaker, I have a few questions for the opposition leader. Is he aware that we have started to implement an adaptation strategy that is already delivering results by funding tangible projects from coast to coast to coast? Take Montreal, where a park is being built with the collaboration of the city and the federal government. These are nature-based solutions that represent tens of millions of dollars and will help limit spring flooding in the city's west end.

Madam Speaker, before I share my observations, I would just like to congratulate you on your recent re-election as the members' unanimous choice to co-chair the House. I am privileged to rise and speak to an issue that is on all Canadians' minds no matter where they live or their socioeconomic reality. We all know that this is a tragically historic event. I have no doubt that everyone in the House is thinking of the families who lost loved ones to the floods in B.C. Our government wants to thank the first responders, the search and rescue volunteers and the emergency managers who are working hard to keep people on the west coast safe at this time. Our government is monitoring the situation in southern British Columbia closely. We have offered to provide whatever assistance is needed to help respond to and recover from this extreme weather. Our government continues to work with provincial and local partners. The ongoing whole-of-government response effort is coordinated to ensure that the province has the resources it needs to support the people of B.C. In response to requests for federal assistance from the Province of British Columbia on November 16, our government approved the use of Canadian Armed Forces air assets and land components to assist with the whole-of-government relief effort. The floods seen on Vancouver Island and in B.C.'s southern mainland have shocked and saddened people across this country. While the crisis has limited its devastation to one great province, the message it has carried has flowed from coast to coast to coast. There is no community in our country that has watched events unfold in British Columbia and not felt concern for the people there or dread for what such a catastrophe means for all of us. Whether we live in Cornerbrook or Cape Breton, Kamouraska or Kenora, Colville Lake or Canmore, the B.C. floods and the rains that brought them matter. If we look beyond the events of this month and, in fact, of this year, we cannot deny that they matter a lot. Over the course of several months, B.C. has felt the impacts of multiple climate disasters: devastating wildfires and life-threatening extreme heat. The sudden heavy rains last week were the result of an atmospheric river, a phenomenon that Canadians have come to know much more about. As the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, I am particularly moved by the events unfolding on the west coast. I share in the sadness of the families of those who lost their lives in the serious flooding. I am struck by the stories of the residents of British Columbia. I have been informed of the challenges the municipalities are facing because of the damage to the infrastructure and the repairs that will be needed. Providing relief and recovering from a flood is a long-term prospect. We are committed to providing what is needed to help people get through this difficult time. Unfortunately, we know that British Columbia is not out of the woods yet. Another atmospheric river event is occurring now. Affecting the province's north coast, it is expected to slip southward, bringing more rain to southern B.C. within days. In fact, atmospheric rivers are expected to continue to affect the province beyond that. My department is not merely watching these developments. We are regularly updating our official weather forecast, weather watches and warnings. I encourage people in B.C. to continue to follow Environment and Climate Change Canada's official channels for weather forecasts, weather watches and warnings. There, they will find more details on the latest weather information. Our immediate priority is support for activities on the ground. With world-class meteorological services, Environment and Climate Change Canada continues to provide assistance to B.C.'s emergency management and response efforts. The department's meteorologists are providing frequent weather updates to Emergency Management British Columbia at the primary operations centre, as well as to the regional command centres. Our National Hydrological Service technologists and engineers are monitoring water-gauging stations and providing water-level data to help guide the provincial flood forecasters. Our experts are briefing the regional coordination group, providing up-to-the-minute, site-specific weather forecasts, and our national environmental emergencies centre is monitoring for potential pollution incidents, ready to provide support. The severity of weather events in B.C., as well as their potential impacts, is unquestionable and is not limited to one given place. Consider the torrential rain and strong winds that began lashing Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador yesterday. Many Canadians are asking openly, “Is that what climate change looks like?” It is not as simple as attributing a single weather event to human-caused climate change, but the evidence is conclusive: Canada is experiencing more frequent and more intense extreme weather events, and climate change is leading to those intense disasters, not only here at home but also around the world. We know that climate change is causing more frequent extreme weather conditions. Canadians are seeing this clearly. It is not unreasonable for people to associate these events with climate change. If the events in British Columbia strongly suggest that climate change is happening, then what are we to do? Our government is taking action in different ways. Strengthening weather forecasting and environmental services and early warning systems will be essential in the future because Canada will be facing unprecedented weather conditions. Such measures are critical for robust emergency preparedness and response to events like the ones we have seen in B.C. this year. They also complement the significant steps this government has taken already to adapt to a future climate that is in sharp contrast to today's climate. Climate adaptation was one of the key themes at COP26, the UN climate change conference that the Prime Minister, several cabinet ministers and I attended at the beginning of this month in Glasgow, Scotland. There, on the world stage, Canada committed to doing its part. Never before has the need to adapt to climate change been stronger. Most countries went to Glasgow to announce that they would sustain and increase their commitments to adapt to climate change. Canada was among those countries. Going forward, as we have for many years, our government will continue to foster robust partnerships and help scale-up worldwide efforts for a climate-resilient future. What does adapting to climate change involve at home? First, it is about informing people. Weather forecasting and environmental services, such as those provided by the Government of Canada, are becoming increasingly important in the face of unprecedented weather conditions. They support decision-making at all levels of society and increase climate resilience. We must tackle climate change openly and directly. Extreme weather events will increase in severity and frequency in the decades to come. We must invest in transforming our infrastructure, our economy and our relationship with nature. Many government departments, working together, started developing a national adaptation strategy earlier this year. The strategy will unite actors at different levels of government and build Canada's strong foundation into a common blueprint for action for all citizens, governments and organizations. Let us not forget the hard lessons learned these past few weeks in British Columbia. There always comes a time when the immediate crisis is over, and we must remain open to new ideas and change our ways. In the wake of the experience of the B.C. flooding, and in fact all of the severe weather events in that province this year, we must show that by working together, governments, organizations, indigenous people and citizens can build climate resilience. Together, we must do more. We must do it faster to fight climate change and to enhance our abilities to prepare and adapt. Our government will always be there to help Canadians in need.

Madam Speaker, earlier this evening I pointed to very concrete things that are happening in this country because of our government, namely the 300 transit projects under construction from one side of the country to the other and the record-level investments in the electrification of transportation. By the end of next year, 16,000 charging stations will be installed across the country, as more and more people are relying on electric vehicles. We are already investing in nature-based adaptation solutions in many parts of the country, but I will be the first to admit that we need to do more and we need to do it faster.