OTTAWA,
October 19, 2006 – The Honourable Rona Ambrose,
Minister of the Environment, gave Canadians the
first and central component of Canada's New Government's
environmental Agenda when she introduced Canada's
Clean Air Act in Parliament today.
"We listened to Canadians.
They told us they were concerned about worsening
air quality and increasing emissions of greenhouse
gases," said Minister Ambrose. "After
more than a decade of inaction on the environment
by the previous government, Canada's Clean Air
Act is the first step in turning things around
to protect the health of Canadians."
The Act and subsequent Notice
of Intent to regulate demonstrate a clear commitment
to the establishment of short-, medium- and long-term
industrial air pollution targets. These fixed
targets would compel polluters to respect emissions
limits and will be at least as stringent as those
in other leading environmental countries.
"Previously, voluntary
targets were set according to what industry felt
they could live with," explained Minister
Ambrose. "This is a historic Act as we are
the first government that is regulating and enforcing
emission targets. We are doing this with the health
of Canadians in mind."
The Honourable Tony Clement,
Minister of Health, noted that smog can worsen
existing heart and lung problems and causes thousands
of deaths each year.
"The proposed Clean Air
Act will go a long way towards improving the health
of Canadians," added Minister Clement. "Most
vulnerable Canadians such as young children, elderly
Canadians, and people who suffer from chronic
heart and respiratory illnesses will definitely
benefit from our action to improve the quality
of the air we breathe."
Short-term intensity based greenhouse
gas reduction targets would be set in consultation
with provinces and territories and all affected
industry sectors. This dynamic approach will ensure
better results for the environment.
The Government is committed
to achieving an absolute reduction in GHG emissions
between 45 and 65% from 2003 levels by 2050.
"These targets would exceed
those proposed by the previous government and
will produce real environmental progress here
in Canada," said Ambrose.
The Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister
of Natural Resources, said new and emerging technologies
will play a significant role in helping industry
achieve the targets.
"The largest untapped source
of energy is the energy we waste," said Minister
Lunn. "Amendments to the Energy Efficiency
Act will help Canadians use the most energy-efficient
products, reduce their energy use and improve
air quality."
The Government is proud that
Canada has one of the most fuel efficient fleets
in North America. This New Government will continue
to seek fuel consumption improvements for cars
and light duty trucks.
"We will develop regulations
that will build on the voluntary commitment the
auto industry made collectively that calls for
a reduction of 5.3 MT of greenhouse gases by 2010,"
stated the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister
of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
Under the Clean Air Regulatory
Agenda, over the next twelve months, the Government
will introduce new regulations pursuant to the
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 to
address air pollutants from certain consumer products
and vehicles.
Over the next three years, new
regulations, targets and timelines will be discussed
and set. They will lead to significant and long-term
reductions in air pollution and greenhouse gas
emissions from industry, transportation and consumer
products, as well as new standards for energy
efficiency in a wide range of everyday products
and appliances.
The Act also supports expanded
use of equivalency agreements with provinces and
territories to allow for regulatory cooperation
and avoid overlap and duplication. Finally, it
gives the Government enhanced powers to monitor
polluters and also requires all environmental
fines levied for non-compliance go into an environmental
damages fund that will be applied directly to
cleaning up the environment.
Related Documents :
Why do we Need the Clean Air Act? [backgrounder,
2006-10-19]
Tackling Air Pollutions from all Sources [backgrounder,
2006-10-19]
The Need for Immediate Action – Canada's New Clean
Air Regulatory Agenda [backgrounder, 2006-10-19]
Clean Air Online Web Site [information collection]
Notice of intent to develop and implement regulations
and other measures to reduce air emissions
For more information, please contact:
Shannon Haggarty / Eric Waddell
/ Kathleen Olson / Ghyslain Charron / Natalie
Sarafian / Robin Browne
