Ontario Hansard - 04-October2006

CLIMATE CHANGE

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): To the Minister of the Environment: Yesterday, the Environmental Commissioner issued a stern warning that your government is neglecting your obligations. He stated that had there are examples of government inaction in almost every area of environmental management. Minister, during estimates you said, "If you look at the Ministry of the Environment website, there is a clear description of Ontario's integrated approach to climate change and clean air." But in his report, the Environmental Commissioner said, after a search of government websites, that it was revealed that the policy documents "contained little or no mention of projected climate change impacts." He then contacted your ministry staff and was told that there is no formal plan or strategy dealing with adaptation to climate change. Minister, what is your plan for climate change, or should we just assume there is no plan, like the LCBO?

Hon. Laurel C. Broten (Minister of the Environment): I'm pleased to have a chance to talk about Ontario's strategy with respect to climate change. Ontario's strategy with respect to climate change, as I indicated in this House yesterday and indicated in estimates, is a multi-ministry strategy. To tackle this serious issue across the world, across the globe, we need to move beyond the silos of government. We need to look at a different approach to tackling climate change. We need so see investments in public transit -- and we've made historic investments in public transit. We need to have investments and an examination of how we do business in the province and make sure that we innovate and provide dollars with respect to research and innovation. That's what we're doing.

On so many fronts, so many of the ministers that sit on this side of the House understand the critical challenge that is before us as a society. Like Ontarians, we're rolling up our sleeves and we're making decisions across multiple ministries to make sure we tackle this very serious --

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Thank you. Supplementary?

Ms. Scott: I guess the plan is to roll up your sleeves, because the Environmental Commissioner did search other ministry websites, not just your own, and could find no plan. In fact, in your government's own estimates, this year's budget on climate change has been reduced by more than $27 million. You also said yourself in committee on estimates that the Ministry of the Environment's operating budget has been reduced by $41.2 million. The previous Minister of the Environment stated in 2004, "This government has placed the environment as a priority." Yet we see over and over again that you're cutting operating budgets within the ministry. You've broken your promises to the people of Ontario for three years. Minister, why are you keeping Ontarians in the dark on protecting them from the effects of climate change?

Hon. Ms. Broten: Maybe you're looking for a piece of paper. On this side of the House, we're taking action. The Minister of Energy is making sure that we develop clean, green energy sources. The Minister of Government Services is making sure that across government we ensure that we move forward with conservation strategies: Bill 21 and conservation -- all of those initiatives.

You need to move out of the silo that you live in and get with David Suzuki and Al Gore. We need to re-examine as a society the entire way that we live. No longer can climate change be the sole responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment; it's not. And you yourself know -- because I answered your questions at estimates -- the budget line item that you're looking at is with respect to the negotiation of the Kyoto Protocol. With the current federal government, frankly, that seems like it is a distant past. We need the federal government to participate. The ministry's budget is fluid. We look forward to engaging with our current federal government, because they need to rebuild their budget, put that $8 billion back on this table, give the $538 million --