A Real Plan to Protect Our Environment

On June 19, 2019, our Conservative Leader of Official Opposition, Andrew Scheer, unveiled our much-anticipated A Real Plan to Protect Our Environment, to Canadians. It’s a clear plan with three guiding principles which are based in taking action to tackle climate change, unlike the current Liberal government’s belief that you can tax your way to a cleaner environment. A carbon tax is not an environmental plan and Canadians know it. Our plan is different because it doesn’t impose punitive measures on Canadian families while having virtually zero impact on global climate change. Canadians want a plan that’s realistic and we’re ready to deliver.

Conservatives have a proud legacy when it comes to managing Canada’s natural environment and improving Canada’s environmental performance. We created the national parks system, negotiated the Canada-U.S. acid rain treaty, brought in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and much more. A Real Plan to Protect Our Environment is built on our proud legacy, based on three guiding principles.

The first guiding principle, green technology, not taxes, is the best way to lower Canada’s emissions. We will start by implementing Green Investment Standards that require polluters whose emissions exceed strict limits to invest in emissions-reduction technology specific to their industry. We will set this limit at 40 kilotons per year, which is 10 kilotons stricter than the Liberal government’s output-based system. There will be no sweetheart deals for big polluters, which is much different from the Liberal plan. We will introduce the Green Homes Tax Credit, a two-year plan that will encourage Canadians to improve their homes with emissions-reducing technologies. We will also introduce the Green Patent Credit for green innovators and entrepreneurs who create new emissions-reducing technologies. This will lower the tax rate from 15 per cent to five per cent on income earned from the patent of a new green technology.
The second guiding principle, a cleaner and greener natural environment, focuses on protecting our air, land, water, and wildlife. We will reinstate funding for wetland, watershed, and fisheries conservation revoked by the Liberals. We will re-establish the Hunting and Angling Advisory Panel, which was cut by the current Liberal government, to give those who work to preserve and protect species and habitats a seat at the table to share their expertise on how we can do it. We will also take real action on reducing plastic waste by harmonizing recycling standards across provinces and working with industry to minimize the plastic packaging of products.

The third guiding principle, taking the climate change fight global, recognizes that Canada has a leadership role to play on the international stage, as greenhouse gas emissions do not recognize borders. We know tackling climate change can’t be done by just concentrating on our own emissions. Climate change must be seen as a global problem with a need for global solutions. This can be done by exporting Canada’s environmental excellence. For example, there is an opportunity for Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to provide a cleaner alternative for power generation in countries such as China, to help them move away from coal with the added benefit of reducing global emissions. Furthermore, Canada is a global leader in carbon capture and sequestration technology. We can share and export our expertise with countries like China, which has demonstrated an interest in using the technology in their own facilities. This could have a considerable impact on their greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Our plan also outlines specific measures to deliver results that will move us more closely towards achieving our emission reductions targets. We will have a Greenhouse Expansion Accelerator to provide targeted capital cost allowances to industries, like LNG, that can be shown to reduce emissions in other countries. We will also establish the new Canadian Clean Brand, a product designation for Canadian products that are the cleanest in the world, which gives Canadian and global consumers alike the knowledge that the products they purchase are making a positive difference for the environment.

The Conservative record of environmental achievement stands in stark contrast to the Liberal record of failure. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s so-called environmental plan is, in reality, not an environmental policy at all. His carbon tax gives big polluters a pass while punishing Canadians for driving to work and heating their homes. The Prime Minister and his Liberal government talk about climate action, but by every measure, they aren’t as advertised. Our plan, A Real Plan to Protect our Environment, is realistic and achievable. It will reduce global emissions without imposing a punitive carbon tax. We will balance the need to fight climate change by lowering emissions with our core promise of leaving more money in Canadians’ pockets and the opportunity to get ahead.
For more information on A Real Plan to Protect our Environment, please visit ARealPlan.ca