Juxtaposition

Con Environment Minister Rona Ambrose not so long ago, warning of the desperate need for legislation to allow the federal government to deal effectively with greenhouse gas emissions:

When Canada's Clean Air Act passes, we will have the power to:

- set fuel efficiency standards in the auto sector
- establish national air quality objectives based on health and be accountable for reaching them
- be accountable to Parliament by reporting on annual progress
- be accountable to Canadians through an annual report on air quality
- be able to regulate products that create emissions such as woodstoves and gas-powered lawnmowers
- be able to blend fuels so we can offer Canadians cleaner fuels like ethanol and biodiesel and give our farmers opportunity to participate in the renewable fuels industry
- be able to regulate indoor air for radon, which is the leading cause of lung cancer among non smokers.
- be able to issue mandatory reporting notices on products that cause pollution and require companies to report on their human health and environmental impacts
- be able to issue interim emergency orders to shut down polluters if we believe immediate action is needed
- it will expand the inspection powers of our enforcement officers
- companies will no longer be able to voluntarily report to government, they will have to have independent verification and evaluation of their pollution information
- we will introduce new energy efficiency requirements and labeling requirements for 20 new consumer products such as washing machines and dishwashers and electronic products like televisions and DVD players.
...
Our health has suffered long enough and our environment has suffered long enough. We need Canada's Clean Air Act to make real progress for my generation and the generations that come after me.

And again:

Canada's Clean Air Act is an essential tool in this government's commitment to achieving concrete results on air quality and climate change in the short, medium, and long-term.

This legislation will give us the means to put in place new enforceable regulated requirements to reduce emissions and take coordinated action to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. It sets out important amendments to the Fuels Division of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

Which brings us to...Con Environment Minister Peter Kent today, declaring that it's ridiculous to suggest that legislation is needed to allow the federal government to deal effectively with greenhouse gas emissions:

As an aside, just weeks into this job let me say how especially frustrating I find the constant, critical refrain that this Government has no environmental plan.

Not only do we have one, we are one of the very few countries that does.

What many people don’t realize is that Environment Canada already has the legal tools it needs to execute our plan. It requires no new legislation.