Denise Savoie
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SAVOIE APPLAUDS VOTE TO BRING CLEAN AIR AND CLIMATE CHANGE ACT BACK TO PARLIAMENT
OTTAWA – Victoria MP Denise Savoie is calling on the Conservative government to respect a vote in the House of Commons and bring the Clean Air and Climate Change Act (Bill C-30) back to Parliament.
“The issue of the environment and climate change is extremely important to me and to the NDP caucus in Ottawa, but clearly the Conservatives are still in denial," said Savoie, following today's vote.
In October, when the Conservatives introduced the Clean Air Act, it was rejected by all the opposition parties in the minority Parliament and was declared “dead on arrival”. NDP Leader Jack Layton got agreement from the Prime Minister for a special committee to be set up to revamp the Conservative climate change plan. The committee, comprised of all parties in the House of Commons, produced the Clean Air and Climate Change Act (Bill C-30) which the Conservatives have refused to bring to Parliament.
“Though we are faced with Conservative apathy, we haven’t exhausted all the means at our disposal to ensure that this issue is addressed in a comprehensive way," Savoie noted. “We simply won’t accept fear-mongering tactics implying that taking measures to care for our environment will result in economic disaster. It’s irresponsible as well as being untrue. It is possible to tackle climate change in a way that is both environmentally responsible and economically sound.”
On May 18th, the NDP used one of its opposition day motions to put the question directly to the government. The motion read, “In the opinion of the House, given the desire of Canadians that this Parliament meaningfully address concerns about air quality and climate change, the government should call Bill C-30, Canada’s Clean Air and Climate Change Act, for debate and decision at report stage and second reading as soon as possible.” On May 29th, the House of Commons voted 155/121 to support the NDP’s motion.
“I applaud the House’s decision to press forward with this motion that represents the mandate that Canadians across the country have given us,” said Savoie. She added, “It also embodies the cooperation and the hard work of a majority of the members in this Parliament. This bill represents concrete action that will result in real gains in terms of climate change and the environment.”