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When the Prime Minister is Away
Innisfil Enterprise
June 6, 2007
By Peter Van Loan, MP, York-Simcoe
This week, the Prime Minister joined other
heads of Government and State at high level
meetings in Europe, including the G-8. As a
result, I had the responsibility of standing
in for the Prime Minister back in Canada for
the week.
In Question Period in the House of Commons,
the dominant issue I faced was Canada's
international role on climate change.
It was a good week to be a Conservative
answering those questions. For the
first time ever, Canada was attending
meetings of this type with a real
environmental plan in place that delivers
results.
Our plan will actually produce real
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of
20% by 2020. This is in contrast to
the actual increase of 33% in emissions
under the Liberals.
The European Union welcomed the new Canadian
approach. As a result, we were able to
issue a joint declaration on long term
targets for greenhouse gas emission
reductions of 60 to 70% by 2050.
What's more, as a country turning around a
previously lousy record on the environment,
we have the credibility to be a world leader
in the post-Kyoto efforts to bring major
emitters to the table. Only when we
bring countries like the U.S., China, India
and Brazil into the global effort to reduce
carbon emissions, will we make significant
progress on this pressing problem.
Another place where I stood in for the Prime
Minister was the weekly Conservative Caucus
meeting on Wednesday. All discussions
in Caucus are secret, so I can't share the
details.
Caucus is an opportunity to share and
develop government plans for the House of
Commons, to review and debate the party
position on Bills, and most importantly to
allow MP's to raise issues for their
constituents. Conservative MP's are
always active in advancing their
constituents priorities, and this
information is carefully considered by the
Prime Minister and Government Leadership,
noted, and more often than not, results in
action.
A full week standing in for the Prime
Minister was a great experience. Even
if having to answer repeated depressingly
negative questions from the Opposition might
leave one with a discouraging impression
about this country, the reality of how great
Canada is, and how bright its future remains
is inescapable. It is heartening to be
part of a Government determined to deliver
the change for the better that Canadians
want.
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