Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I enjoy working with the hon. member on the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. The hon. member mentioned the UN, and he will recall the UN Kyoto climate accord, which the Conservatives cancelled. They not only did not meet their targets; they cancelled their targets.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her advocacy and for her friendship. We are turning the Queen Mary, as they say. The Conservative government of Stephen Harper did nothing on climate change for 10 long years. We are reversing that trend. We are investing billions of dollars in climate action and into the new economy.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, all I know is that for 10 long years, the Conservatives of Stephen Harper did nothing on climate change. They cut $350 million from the environment and climate change budget. We are investing in the economy of the future, with $9.1 billion in our emissions reduction plan.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, again, one of the first things we did when we formed government was putting the age of retirement back to 65 so seniors would not be left in poverty. Indeed, in our last budget, we increased the OAS by 10% because our seniors are more vulnerable as they age, with more needs for health care and medicine.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, indeed it is a privilege to rise today to participate in this important debate on carbon pricing. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time and carbon pricing is the backbone of our government's climate plan, as the minister has just said. In recent years, climate change has had unprecedented effects on Canadians.

The Environment  Madam Speaker, we do have a plan. We are working with that plan. Since 2015, we have been getting results. Canada has increased its conserved terrestrial areas by more than 2%, an area roughly the size of Italy. Canada has conserved or protected just over 13% of our lands and inland waters.

The Environment  Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his passion and commitment to conservation. The world is facing an unprecedented biodiversity crisis. Canadians have a deep connection with nature and understand that protecting the environment is all about protecting our shared future.

The Environment  Madam Speaker, thank you for giving that good talking to to my hon. colleague from the ENVI committee, who I enjoy working with. I would just in closing say that the impacts from the CFR on the cost of fuel for transportation will be gradual and will not occur for several years.

The Environment  Madam Speaker, I will be presenting a starkly different view from that of the hon. member. The clean fuel regulations, CFR, are critical to meeting Canada's 2030 climate targets and laying the foundation for a net-zero economy in 2050. The CFR will deliver up to 26 megatonnes of GHG emission reductions in 2030.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, I would agree with many of the hon. member's points. The hon. member and I go back a long way, as she has alluded to. Again, I take many of her points and ultimately we will see much of that reflected when the Canada water agency is established. Just in closing, creating the Canada water agency presents a unique opportunity for Canada to work with provinces, territories, indigenous peoples, local authorities, scientists and others to strengthen collaboration and find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean and well managed.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's question and I appreciated as well the question she put to the minister on October 20 and I appreciated his response. I think the hon. member will agree that a clean and safe freshwater supply in Canada and freshwater systems from coast to coast to coast are essential to the well-being of Canadians and to the health and sustainability of the environment and the economy.

Environment  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table “2020-2021 Reports by Federal Authorities with Obligations under Section 71 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012”. The report is to be forwarded to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development pursuant to Standing Order 32(5).

Carbon Pricing  Mr. Speaker, as usual, the Conservatives are spreading misinformation. We are on track to meet our targets, which are in 2030. What did Conservatives do when they were in power? They did absolutely nothing for 10 years. They blew up our emissions quotas in the Kyoto accord. They cut $350 million from the environment and climate change budget.

Hon. Jim Carr  Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to pay tribute to the Hon. Jim Carr, my long-time friend and a respected colleague on all sides of the House. Jim was truly a Renaissance man. He had an extraordinary career as a professional musician, a journalist, a leader in the business community and a politician who served in the Manitoba legislature and here in the House as the MP for Winnipeg South Centre.

The Environment  Madam Speaker, I think the member would agree that thousands of species are at risk here at home. One in five species, according to the wild species report, are in danger of extinction. There are millions around the world. That is why we are gathered in Montreal to face the biodiversity crisis head on at the UN Biodiversity Conference.