The Environment  Madam Speaker, we agree with the results of the Conference Board of Canada. Ten years of inaction on the part of the previous government with respect to environmental matters relating to climate change, environmental assessments, and other things have left Canada in a very poor situation in the world in terms of our environmental record.

The Environment  Madam Speaker, I would highlight some of the significant investments this government made in the budget. We have made significant investments in public transit, a billion dollars in clean tech, and a range of investments to address climate change. We have embarked on a pan-Canadian discussion that will allow us to work with the provinces proactively to address climate emissions.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, I would like to refer my hon. colleague to a number of elements in the budget which focus on innovation and driving clean technology into sectors such as the mining industry, to enable the mining industry to become more carbon friendly, but also more productive and more efficient.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, Canada's government is working actively with the provinces and territories to develop and implement a Canadian plan to reduce emissions and to further the clean-growth economy. We welcome the discussion with respect to carbon pricing. Carbon pricing is something that will be part of the outcome of the discussions.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that we will be working to ensure that the economy and the environment go hand in hand. We have also been very clear that we are going to base decisions on science and evidence. With respect to Pacific NorthWest, as I have mentioned to my hon. colleague in the past, the proponent provided substantive new information during the public comment period, some of which had the potential to have impact on the second largest salmon run in British Columbia.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in an earlier reply, we are working actively with all of the provinces and territories across the country to develop a pan-Canadian approach to address carbon emissions and to actually promote a clean-growth economy. We intend to work constructively with all provinces and territories to ensure that we have a plan that has the support of all parts of the country, but will allow us to ensure that we are addressing what is a critical international issue.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the hon. member was not present, but the wood fibre project actually was approved. It went through a rigorous environmental assessment process, where we determined that the environmental impacts could be managed in a sustainable way. That project is going forward.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, we very clearly understand that major resource projects are an important part of the economy, but they must be done in a manner that balances the environment and the economy. One of the reasons that this group is sitting on this side of the House and that group is sitting there is because Canadians lost faith in the ability of the previous government to manage the environment.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the hon. member knows, but the ports already have an environmental process through which they deal with ongoing projects. Projects that reach a certain threshold are reviewed by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. As we move forward and we initiate the review of the broader environmental assessment processes in Canada, we will be looking at how environmental assessments are done generally, and these will be part of the discussion.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, in the modern age, Canadians expect that the environment and the economy work together hand in hand. They expect rigorous environmental assessments of projects so that people can have comfort that when projects proceed they are done in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, I think we have been very clear. Canada is in the process of renewing and revising its environmental assessment processes. We will kick off that process later this year. This is a requirement because the members opposite fundamentally lost the confidence of Canadians in the changes that they made in an omnibus budget bill in 2012.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, thoughtful Canadians know that focusing on reducing our carbon emissions will actually make our economy stronger not weaker. We plan to move forward with a robust strategy to address climate change, to foster clean tech development, to foster renewable energy development, and concurrently work to get our resources to market in a framework that allows us to build our economy and at the same time become greener and much more carbon friendly.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and we need to grow our economy in a sustainable way. They also know that reducing emissions will make our economy more competitive, not less. I was very pleased this week to hear the words of Pierre Gratton, the president and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that reducing emissions will make our economy more competitive, not less. This is about moving forward in a manner that respects our international obligation to address a critical international issue, and doing so in a measured manner whereby we bring along the provinces in a pan-Canadian approach to addressing the critical issue of climate change.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, major resource projects play a vital role in our economy, and we clearly recognize the importance of creating jobs and economic growth. We have been very clear that the focus is on moving the environment and the economy forward hand in hand. In fact, that is a requirement in the modern age.