2006 Federal Election Questionnaire

Where do the federal parties stand on cleaning up our air?

Responses to 2006 Federal Election Questionnaire

 Question #1: Should the Government of Canada assist Ontario to phase-out its dirty coal-fired power plants by financially supporting energy conservation and efficiency and renewable power development rather than by spending more public money on nuclear power?

Liberals: Over the past five years, the Liberal Government has instituted a broad range of new programs designed to encourage energy conservation and renewable power and clean energy development in Canada.  In November we released Moving Canada Forward on Climate Change: A Plan for Honouring our Kyoto Commitment. This plan greatly strengthened our efforts by introducing innovative new approaches and expanding successful programs. It created the revolutionary Climate Fund—a permanent, market-based institution for the purchase of emission reductions and removals on behalf of the Government of Canada, and the Partnership fund to help us work with provinces to determine strategic investments on the basis of mutual environmental priorities.  As well, our plan contains sector by sector targets and specific details on how our green house gas (GHG) reduction commitments under Kyoto will be met. 

Based on the experiences of other countries, we know it is possible for Canada to meet 20 per cent of its total energy needs with wind power, about 50,000 megawatts (MW) of wind energy capacity. Since 2004, Canada’s wind power production has increased from 327 MW to 592 MW.  When compared to coal-powered electricity, Canada’s installed wind energy capacity can displace the emission of roughly 1,500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually.  Shifting to wind power also eliminates other pollutants from coal-generated power such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, lead and arsenic. Clearly, increasing wind generation will continue to reduce our GHG emissions and smog, which, in turn will mitigate global warming and climate change.

The Liberal government is firmly committed to the development of sustainable sources of renewable energy and believes they are essential to ensuring a competitive green economy. The 2005 budget quadrupled funding to $200 million over five years for incentives for renewable energy through the Wind Power Production Incentive (WPPI) and increased the target for new wind generating capacity to 4000 megawatts (MW), or the amount of power needed annually by approximately 1 million average Canadian homes. Building on this successful model, Budget 2005 also committed $97 million of over five years for a Renewable Power Production Incentive (RPPI), which will support the development of biomass, small hydro, tidal power, and other renewable energy sources.

In terms of wind power production in Canada, Quebec and Alberta are at the forefront of wind energy production in Canada, with 102 MW and 172 MW installed, respectively. However, other provinces are following suit. Large utility-scale wind turbines have been installed in Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and the Yukon. Recently, Ontario announced that it has now contracted for 1,370 megawatts of new renewable capacity and outlined a plan to move towards meeting its target of adding 2,700 megawatts of new renewable energy by 2010.

The Liberal Government will also continue to work closely with representatives from the private and academic sectors, as well as with provinces and territories, to continue developing and commercializing technologies, thus enabling Canada to be a world leader in renewable energy.

Conservatives: The McGuinty promise to shut down the coal-fired generation plants was ill-considered.  He should have explored clean-coal technology. 

Bloc Québécois: L’industrie des hydrocarbures (pétrole, gaz et charbon) a bénéficié de plus de 66 milliards de dollars de subventions directes de 1970 à 1999. Pendant ce temps, le Québec assumait seul les coûts du développement de barrages hydroélectriques sur son territoire. L’option du développement hydroélectrique choisie par le Québec impliquait des coûts beaucoup plus importants que le développement de la filière nucléaire ou thermique qui étaient alors les options préconisés pour répondre à la demande d’énergie.

En matière de financement de mesures pour réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre, le Bloc Québécois croit fermement au principe du pollueur-payeur.

Ainsi, il nous semble inéquitable pour le Québec que l’argent des contribuables québécois serve à payer pour aider l’Ontario à prendre le virage écologique. Pour nous, cela reviendrait à faire payer les Québécois une deuxième fois. 

NDP Yes. The NDP supports eliminating all federal subsidies to fossil fuel exploration and production and nuclear power and using the money instead for energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable power development.

Green Party Yes. The Green Party would empower communities with renewable energy and a renewed confidence in public office by dismantling Canada’s petroleum and nuclear dependency while developing a decentralized energy plan. In order to do this, the federal government must work with the provinces that are responsible for regulating energy production. We would start by coordinating with the provinces a $1.5 billion investment to build 10,000 MW of low-impact renewable energy by 2010. Green Party MPs would also assist provincial governments in designing, implementing and monitoring improved energy efficiency programs, through the Office of Energy Efficiency.

Question #2: Do you support the expansion of Canada’s east-west electricity transmission grid to permit Ontario to increase its imports of water-power from Manitoba, Quebec and/or Labrador?

Liberals: The Liberal Government recognizes that hydropower is an important and affordable means to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Partnership fund will help finance, on a cost-sharing basis, major technology and infrastructure investments identified in collaboration with provinces and territories, including the potential extension of the east-west electricity power grid.

We are also committed to reducing the constraints related to undue delays in review and approval processes for hydroelectricity and related transmission development, both at the federal level and with provinces through the Council of Energy Ministers. Ultimately, the final decision for how to best meet electricity and environmental needs rests with the provinces themselves; however, should they choose to pursue hydroelectricity projects of mutual interest, they would be eligible to receive federal funding through the Offset System and Partnership Fund.

As well, Ontario has a considerable potential to reap the environmental benefits of small hydro technology.  Small hydro is an increasingly attractive and viable renewable energy source around the world. The RPPI along with $2 billion in tax and production incentives, are designed to increase the development of renewable power production, including small hydro. These incentives reflect the Liberal government’s belief that small, low-impact hydroelectric facilities are not only good sources of clean power, but they are also well suited for community development purposes because they create employment, increase economic activity and strengthen local energy security. 

Conservatives: Yes

Bloc Québécois: Le développement d’une ligne est-ouest qui connecte différentes provinces passe obligatoirement par l’accord de chacun des gouvernements provinciaux. Le Bloc Québécois croit donc que chaque gouvernement concerné doit décider s’il souhaite aller de l’avant avec un tel projet. Le Bloc Québécois s’opposerait catégoriquement à ce que le gouvernement fédéral impose, d’une façon et d’une autre, un projet de construction de ligne est-ouest sans l’accord unanime des provinces traversées par cette ligne.

NDP Yes. This is a key element of our Kyoto Implementation Plan, which we introduced in January 2005.

Green Party Yes. Green Party MPs would develop clear standards for grid access and power purchasing for clean energy sources in cooperation with provinces and  municipalities to ensure the efficient distribution of energy across the country. However, the Green Party would also improve conservation to reduce overall energy demand and focus new developments on localized sources of renewable energy to empower communities with energy independence and efficiency.

Question #3: Should the Government of Canada use taxpayers’ dollars to subsidize the construction or retrofit of nuclear power plants in Ontario?

Liberals: The Liberal Government stands ready to work with Ontario in addressing the province’s energy needs. It is the prerogative of Ontario, however, to determine what energy supply mix it will rely upon. Nuclear power currently provides approximately 50% of Ontario’s electricity requirements, and on average, around 13% of Canada’s total energy mix. The refurbishment of Ontario’s aging fleet of reactors has been a major issue facing the province over the past few years.  Currently, the Liberal government has made no commitment toward the retrofitting Ontario’s nuclear power plants.  

As a non-emitting energy source, nuclear power is currently an important part of Canada's energy mix and has an important role to play in helping us meet our climate change and air quality objectives. Canada has invested about $6 billion in nuclear R&D since 1952.  Currently, the government of Canada provides approximately $100 million annually to AECL for R&D.  It also provides some targeted R&D funds ($46 million, last year) for the development of the Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR).

As a result of this investment, Canada has developed an important electricity supply option for Canada and a technologically sophisticated industry consisting of over 150 companies employing tens of thousands in well-paying, high-technology jobs, contributing in approximately $5 billion per annum to the Canadian GDP.  Canada’s nuclear and energy R&D has made Canada the world leader in the production of medical isotopes and related equipment used to diagnose, prevent and treat disease in over 80 countries in the world. Further, the economic, social, health and environmental benefits Canada has attained, including advancements to the hydrogen economy, far outweigh the federal R&D investment.  Nuclear energy has also contributed significantly to reduce Canada's GHG emissions for more than three decades, now over 1,500 Mt.  Last year alone, nuclear energy prevented GHG emissions of between 40 to 70 Mt depending on whether the source of energy it displaced was natural gas or coal.

Conservatives: Presently, we have not made a decision on this issue.  We will meet with the government of Ontario to discuss its energy requirements. 

Bloc Québécois: Le Bloc Québécois croit que le gouvernement fédéral doit mettre fin aux subventions destinées aux centrales nucléaires. Le Bloc Québécois rejette le nucléaire en tant que source d’énergie et favorise plutôt l’hydroélectricité et le développement de l’énergie éolienne.

NDP No. The Federal NDP does not support federal dollars subsidizing nuclear power.

Green Party No. Despite the health, environmental and financial risks associated with nuclear energy, the federal government continues to subsidize Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) with over $100 million each year. Not only would the Green Party end subsidies to AECL, the Green Party would also rescind all uranium-mining permits and prohibit the export of fissionable nuclear material. This is part of the Green Party’s overall strategy to promote life-cycle product stewardship of minerals to ensure full-cost accounting.

Additional comments:

Conservatives Thank you for your interest in the policies of the Conservative Party of Canada.  We want to assure you that a Conservative government would be committed to improving air quality for all Canadians and will introduce a number of initiatives to advance this objective.  

We are very proud of our transit pass policy which will encourage more people to take public transit which, in turn, means fewer cars on the roads and cleaner air.  This program is universal, applicable to any transit rider from the student to the senior citizen.  The program acts as an incentive to commute via public transit, and is a Made-in-Canada environmental solution which enables us to address the challenges of smog and climate change.

Additionally, we will introduce a Clean Air Act and commit to requiring an average of 5 per cent renewable fuel content in Canadian fuel by 2010.  These are measures that will improve the air quality in Canada’s major cities and also help to curb the growing problem of smog.