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Legislation
C-311 The Climate Change Accountability ActWHAT C-311 DOES
The bill requires the Minister of the Environment to implement measures to ensure that Canada reduces its absolute greenhouse gas emissions by:
• 25% below 1990 levels by 2020
• 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
It introduces greater government accountability by requiring the Environment Minister to prepare 5-year target plans starting in 2015, and report on progress every two years.
It mandates an independent body, the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, to review and report on the feasibility of each target plan.
For more information about re-introducing the Climate Change Accountability Act, Bill C-311, click here.
C-312 the Made in Canada ActAn act respecting government procurements and transfers to promote economic development
Backgrounder:
Domestic procurement policies have been in the news lately with media coverage of the “Buy America” amendment to the stimulus bill previously before the US Senate. While media often confuses trade in goods rules with those of domestic procurement policy, the fact is that the US has already had forceful domestic procurement rules in place for generations. In fact Canada sits alone amongst the G7 countries in failing to defend domestic jobs and industries with a “Made in Canada” government procurement policy.
NAFTA & WTO Obligations
The right of provincial and local governments to use public procurement to stimulate economic development is allowed under each of our NAFTA and WTO rules. While direct federal procurements are constrained because of conditions Conservatives and Liberals have agreed to under various international trade agreements like NAFTA and the WTO’s Agreement on Government Procurement (AGP), there are important exceptions. These include the right to mandate Canadian content levels for direct government expenditures for ship construction, urban rail, and transportation equipment: exceptions that the government has failed to take advantage of. More importantly, federal grants or transfers to provinces, municipalities, or other groups for infrastructure spending are not constrained at all by these treaties. The Made in Canada Act uses this fact, as do other nations, to mandate domestic content requirements for federally-funded projects.
QUICK FACTS
Spinoff Benefits
Informetrica Inc. research indicates that, in general, for every $1.00 spent on infrastructure, a further $0.70 is generated in additional economic activity.
Outsourcing Jobs & Tax Revenues
In the last 3 years alone, federal dollars have supported:
- Ottawa light-rail transit equipment imported from Europe
- B.C. ferries purchased from Germany
- York Region buses purchased from Belgium
- Vancouver Skytrain’s “Canada Line” sourced from Korea
For more information about the Made in Canada Act, Bill C-312, click here.
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CONTACT BRUCE |
Constituency Office:
(Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
69 N. Court Street
Thunder Bay, ON
P7A 4T7
Tel: 807-345-1818
Toll-free:
1-888-266-8004
Fax: 807-345-4752
bruce@brucehyer.ca
Parliamentary Office:
(No postage necessary)
Bruce Hyer, MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Tel: 613-996-4792
Fax: 613-996-9785
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