Issues

Issue - Environment
	The Liberals aim to establish a national renewable fuels standard that will call for minimum of 5 per cent mix of renewable fuels in gasoline and diesel by the end of 2010 They aim to develop domestic “offset credits” for farmers who adopt low-till or zero-till practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions using the government’s new climate fund The Liberals plan to expand the existing incentives for thermal cogeneration of power and accelerate the capital cost allowance for forest bio-energy to encourage energy conservation and lower greenhouse gas emissions The party vows to reduce overlapping regulatory requirements to make regulation more efficient without compromising social and environmental goals The Liberals vow to expand air quality monitoring and reporting through the new Air Quality Index If re-elected, a Liberal government will implement a 10-year, $1 billion plan to clean Canadian waterways The Liberals vow to expand Canada’s network of National Parks and Protected Areas to safeguard natural areas They also plan to work with provincial and territorial governments to establish or expand national parks in Manitoba, Newfoundland, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and to invest $150 million over the next five years to support these developments In the 2005 budget, Martin’s Liberals promised $4.7 billion over five years, including $1 billion to cut greenhouse gases and $200 million to boost wind energy Under the Kyoto plan unveiled in 2005, the Liberal minority government announced $10 billion would go toward reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions in Canada over the next eight years Martin has spoken out against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge In Budget 2005, the Liberals commit to securing the funding for the Green Municipal Fund, which helps municipalities build environmentally sustainable infrastructure, bringing the total up to $550 million

	During the 2006 election campaign, Stephen Harper said he would stretch the 200-mile limit to fisheries in international waters. Under his plan, Canadian control would be extended to the following areas: the edge of the Continental Shelf; the nose and tail areas of Newfoundland's Grand Banks; and the Flemish Cap in the North Atlantic. Introduce a Clean Air act which will reduce smog days by taking decisive action to legislate caps on smog-causing pollutants Ensure water quality by addressing environmental issues such as the need for aquifer mapping, protection of the Great Lakes Basin, banning interbasin water transfers, imposing substantial penalties for illegal bilge oil dumping, and ensuring adequate watershed management and methods to ensure water quality and quantity Clean up federal contaminated sites and encourage the private sector to clean up brownfields Require 5 per cent average renewable content in Canadian gasoline and diesel fuel, such as ethanol and biodiesel, by 2010 Maintain the existing federal infrastructure agreements that have been entered into between the federal government, the provinces, and municipalities Support the development of the Pacific Gateway Initiative and designate at least $591 million to the Initiative, but give greater freedom to British Columbia and the other partners

	During the 2006 election campaign, Jack Layton said he would commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Canada by 25 per cent by the year 2020 In the deal Layton and his team brokered with Martin’s Liberals in 2005, $900 million was pledged for environmental initiatives such as an energy retrofit program that helps homeowners reduce energy bills and pollution through efficiency Use the sale of Ottawa's 19-per-cent stake in Petro-Canada as collateral to borrow capital for a new Crown corporation for renewable energy Establish centres in solar, tidal, wind and geothermal power across Canada Apply the polluter-pay principle Help Canada shift from fossil and nuclear energy toward green energy with a phased in tax regime Build more wind turbines and foster markets for wind energy Auction off emission credits to corporations Establish a university degree program in green technology Phase in over four years a tax shifting regime to transform incentive, subsidy and investment programs to focus upon green and co-generated energy Create markets for Canada’s green energy businesses, particularly solar energy businesses, through the building retrofit program Make sure Nova Scotia receives fair share of resource revenue, that people of Newfoundland and Labrador are treated fairly in accordance with Atlantic Accord, and that Saskatchewan is treated on an equitable basis with respect to energy revenues and equalization Provide assistance to coal-dependent provinces to close coal plants and help provinces shift from coal-powered plants, providing means to export cleaner hydro power from Quebec and Manitoba to coal- and nuclear-dependent provinces Develop a transition fuel strategy that maintains an adequate domestic supply of natural gas to replace oil and coal by directing the National Energy Board to ensure Canadian energy needs are met before allowing unlimited natural gas exports to the United States Support family farms by expanding incentives for ethanol as a transitional fuel and supplement farm incomes by importing innovative ideas from states like Iowa, which rents strips of land from farmers for wind turbines Maintain the moratorium on oil and gas exploration off the Pacific coast and in the Great Lakes Establish a national building energy-efficient retrofit program to reduce demand for electricity Ban all animal-to-animal feed Reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions Transportation In the deal Layton and his team brokered with Martin’s Liberals in 2005, the government promised a one-cent increase in the gas tax transfer to municipalities to improve public transit, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in urban areas, and freight rail and rural roads in rural communities Share half of the federal gas tax to improve public transit, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in urban areas, and freight rail and rural roads in rural communities Provide tax incentives and funding for research into new fuel technology for cars Make emission targets mandatory for all manufacturers selling cars in Canada, not voluntary Set mandatory sales targets for green cars Provide GST rebates on greener cars Make public transit passes to employees a tax deduction for employers Kyoto Retrofit buildings to cut pollution, reduce energy costs and create jobs Export cleaner power from Quebec and Manitoba to coal-dependent provinces through an east-west transmission grid Support only those carbon sink projects that improve local biodiversity Fund investment in public transit, rail and renewable energy Water New deal for cities should make clean drinking water and sustainable waste water treatment a priority Implement a ban on bulk water exports Create a federal department of water stewardship to develop common standards Draft national guidelines for clean drinking water Support farmers who try to reduce pesticide and antibiotic dependence Back municipalities in legal battles with chemical corporations after attempting to limit pesticide use in their community Introduce a far more comprehensive Water Stewardship Act to protect our most valuable natural resource Creating a department of water stewardship to address federal water issues and develop common standards Take an aggressive stand on cross-border water issues Create a Canadian Centre for Environmental Heath to promote research on human and ecological health Overhaul the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to implement mandatory pollution prevention measures for corporations and institutions Toxics Ban all imports of toxic waste Require chemical companies to produce scientific evidence of a chemical's safety Renegotiate NAFTA with regard to environmental treaties Biodiversity Let scientists, not politicians, determine whether a species is at risk, and aim to protect their habitat Impose a moratorium on new genetically engineered crops, and make labeling of all GMOs mandatory Impose a moratorium on current fish farm practices Move to sustainable forest practices Reduce the fees that national parks charge End clear-cut logging in old growth forests

	Enhance economic growth while preserving the environment patrimony Push the federal government to fully implement the Kyoto accord on greenhouse gases Promote/subsidize public transportation, and offer tax credits for transit users Protection of the St.Lawrence River and fresh water reserves of Quebec Oppose the widening of the St. Lawrence River under study by the federal government and the American Army (Army Corp of Engineers) Pressure Ottawa to give more money to the provinces to develop alternative energy sources Mandatory labeling of all GMO products Introduce manufacturing standards for the auto-industry to make cars that produce less greenhouse gases Ratify the Carthaginian biodiversity protocol Environment Canada and Health Canada have to take the necessary measures to protect the health of citizens in view of rising pollution concerns/threats Reducing greenhouse effect pollutants is a priority Invest in a wind energy industry in Eastern Quebec Inject the same amount of money awarded to the Hibernia project. This could create up to 15,000 jobs in that industry Promote a tax on non-renewable energy and subsidize polluting industries in reducing emissions

	Eliminate the use of the most dangerous toxic chemicals by 2008 Amend Charter of Rights and Freedoms to enshrine the right of future Canadians to an ecological heritage that includes breathable air and drinkable water Prohibit the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes Regulate chemicals in consumer products through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act Mandate a CEPA taskforce to focus on pollution reduction in the Great Lakes basin Create a Clean Canada Fund to clean up toxic sites Ban the incineration of imported toxic waste Enact product stewardship legislation that would require wood producers to increase the life span of their products and to assume the full recycling and disposal costs of products Work with provinces, First Nations and the logging industry to create federal standards and best practices that ensure the sustainability of our forests Replace clear-cutting with selection logging and conserve old growth forest ecosystems Pursue Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of all forestry conditional upon compliance to its 10 principles on crown lands and encourage the same on private lands Promote alternatives to wood as sources of paper fibre Renegotiate trade agreements to restrict the export of raw logs Promote use of wood waste to produce bio-fuels and co-generated steam and electricity Stop all bulk water exports by renegotiating or rejecting trade deals that allow corporations to strip watersheds of freshwater and disrupt ecosystems Rescind uranium-mining permits and prohibit export of fissionable nuclear material Promote life-cycle product stewardship of metals to ensure that once mined, remain in economic service for generations Ensure all mining operations are insured for environmental liabilities and have an adequate pre-funded plan for remediation when mine closes Introduce and regulate the mining industry under an International Corporate Social Responsibility Act End all federal subsidies to fossil fuel sectors and discontinue exploration, drilling and extraction in ecologically sensitive areas Coordinate with the provinces a $1.5 billion investment to build 10,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2010 Redirect research and development programs towards renewable, alternative, and soft energy technologies that will reduce fossil fuel consumption and phase out nuclear power Expand existing and institute new energy conservation strategies as a cheaper alternative to new power plants Assist provinces to design and implement improved energy efficiency programs Implement plan to address the economic consequences of higher oil prices Work with the provinces and municipalities to promote and support alternative energy initiatives such as sewage co-generation Shift taxes on fossil fuels to earlier stages in the production cycle to encourage competition among companies to lower operating costs while reducing emissions Increase emission reduction targets for large industrial emitters to at least 55 megatons above and beyond other policies Use revenue from tradable pollution permits to offset tax breaks for increasing energy efficiency and industry initiatives that reduce fuel consumption Pass the Canada Well-Being Measurement Act and implement the Canadian Index of Well-being Create thousands of "Green collar jobs" by encouraging the development of low-emission industries Impose significant taxes on harmful chemicals until they can be eliminated Sign and implement the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety Strengthen and enforce Canada's Species at Risk Act in partnership with the provinces and territories Provide Parks Canada with the funding necessary to protect the ecological integrity of Canada's National Parks and, working with provinces, establish compatible-use buffer zones around national parks Fast track the establishment of marine protected areas End federal assistance to the commercial seal hunt and encourage more sustainable economic alternatives for sealers Expand network of land, freshwater and marine protected areas Ban bottom dragging and lead efforts for a global ban on harmful fishing practices Support local, provincial and territorial genetically engineered free zones and pass legislation requiring labeling of genetically engineered foods Ensure that supply management systems provide stable domestic markets, viable farm income, and easier market access for specialty and organic producers Permit continued unregulated production by smaller and mixed family farms that sell to local markets Adapt food safety and other regulations and work with provincial governments to provide area exemptions with locally adopted regulations to support small and medium size farmers and food processors to build and strengthen local food economies Shift government-supported research away from biotechnology and energy-intensive farming and toward organic food production Redefine the Department of Fisheries and Ocean's mandate to protect and conserve wild fisheries Work with provinces to re-establish a wild fish economy with primary concern going to rehabilitating fish stocks, protecting fish habitats and phasing-out fish farms Protect animal welfare by phasing out factory farming, reducing distances live animals can be transported, improving conditions of animals in slaughterhouses, auctions, entertainment, and prohibiting trade in exotic animals Ensure that 100 per cent of livestock waste is recycled safely and no animal by-products are used in animal feed Pass a law that forbids the patenting of life forms and makes biotech developers of genetically engineered crops liable for damage such crops might cause Create a national clean freight initiative that uses both regulatory means and financial incentives to improve fleet efficiency and safety Enforce a mandatory target of 25 per cent better fuel efficiency for the automobile industry and increase standards over the next five years Employ incentives to increase the percentage of ethanol content in gasoline and the availability of other biofuels Subsidize alternative heating systems including solar, geothermal, and high efficiency wood stoves