Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I used the analogy of building before. I think it's a good analogy to use to try to help understand what is going on here. For us to build that foundation that I spoke of earlier...if the plans call for rebar in that foundation and Mr. Regan is saying, hurry up, forget the rebar, we have a foundation that is not as strong. As we build this beautiful house on this foundation, we have a structure that can crumble and jeopardize the whole structure if we do not build on solid ground and a strong foundation.
Mr. Chair, what I believed in having talked with some of my colleagues across the way is that we wanted to look at solutions, that the game of tactics and the game of chess, those days, were over and there was a willingness to work, particularly after hearing the encouragement of the environment commissioner. He came and told us that we need to find out why the previous government did not meet the targets, why they made commitments and plans and nothing happened. We were challenged to ask the departments why. I think we need to get the environment commissioner back.
It wasn't that many months ago that I came back with some of my colleagues across the way from Berlin at the Globe G8 plus 5. I want to share with the committee what I heard and learned about some of the solutions that we were encouraged to debate here in Canada--carbon sequestration and clean coal energy. We were even challenged to talk about nuclear energy and carbon sinks with a growing forest and what we can do out in British Columbia. I met with some people there and shared with them the challenges we have in Canada with the mountain pine beetle, which has killed so many trees. If we harvest them and replant, we have a growing forest and we now create a carbon sink.
Those are some of the things that I was hoping we were going to talk about, positive things that are solutions to deal with the issue of pollution, climate change, and the environment--that we can provide clean drinking water, that we will reduce the--