I read with interest the article written by MP John McKay that was published in the Huffington Post on June 4. While reading it I couldn't help but laugh at the irony that the author's argument was based entirely in the fantasy world of wizards. After all, the suggestion that the Liberals have any climate change plan is completely fictitious. So far the only plan the Liberals have put forward is a carbon tax that will do nothing but punish hard working Canadian families by raising the cost of everything.
Our government understands that you need to do more than just watch children's movies. That's why we are taking real action to reduce GHGs in Canada. We are moving forward with a sector-by-sector regulatory approach that will allow us to protect both the environment and the economy. Through this approach we have already taken action on two of the largest sources of emissions in this country, namely the transportation and electricity generation sectors. In fact, in the first 21 years of our coal regulations, we expect a cumulative reduction of GHG emissions equivalent to removing some 2.6-million vehicles per year from the road. As a result of our regulations, Canada became the first major coal user to ban the construction of traditional coal-fired electricity generation units. Following Canada's example, it was encouraging to see the recent announcement out of the United States that they too are proposing to regulate this sector.
We have had positive results in the transportation sector as well. Thanks to our regulations 2025 passenger vehicles and light trucks will emit about half as many GHGs as 2008 models. Further, GHG emissions from 2018 model heavy-duty vehicles will be reduced by up to 23 per cent. These are results that Canadians can be proud of.
When it comes to making investments, since 2006 our Government has invested more than $10 billion in green infrastructure, energy efficiency, clean energy technologies, cleaner fuels, and smarter grids. These investments are having a positive benefit in the short-term, and in the long term they will reduce our emissions.
On the international front, Canada is taking action through a number of avenues, including by being a founding member and a major financial contributor to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. Through initiatives like these we are taking action to reduce short-lived climate pollutants and investing in clean energy projects.
Thanks in part to our actions, Canada's 2020 GHG emissions are projected to be about 130 megatonnes (Mt) lower relative to a scenario with no action. Furthermore, Canada's per capita GHG emissions are now at their lowest level since tracking began in 1990.
It is actually quite rich that Mr. McKay would even raise this issue as he was part of a government that took no action to address climate change. In fact, our record of action and results is in stark contrast to the previous Liberal government that sat by while GHG emissions in Canada actually grew by over 100 Mts. With a record so bad, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that Liberals base their policies on children's fantasy novels.
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