Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Because this motion is a recommendation for the government to take action, Cabinet will not be voting on the motion. Mr. Speaker, I want to assure all Members that, in our view, the issues, the challenges of climate change are real. That there isn't any alternative except to take actions to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, particularly the more dirty fuels, the diesel and so on, cleaner ways. Mr. Speaker, to reduce our greenhouse gases has to be an objective of all of us.
Mr. Speaker, I'm a young man, too...
---Laughter
...who has seen a lot over the years and I'm very proud that as a government we first put together a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy in 1998, and then, over the years, have renewed it. That Greenhouse Gas Strategy will be tabled next week as part of our overall Energy Strategy.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we take action on a lot of fronts. Mr. Speaker, the Energy Strategy that we'll be tabling next week will deal with recommendations and ideas for implementation that will range from advice to industry, to ourselves as government and, in fact, to individuals. Part of the Energy Strategy is the greenhouse strategy which will be updated.
Another part of that strategy will deal with hydro energy. We have a lot of hydro potential in the Northwest Territories and I hope to see that develop over the number of years. Mr. Speaker, we should soon have, if we haven't got it completed today, we will soon have the program description completed for the Taltson hydro, which will reduce the diesel fuel consumption at the mines by 125 million litres; a substantial difference.
Mr. Speaker, we have been working with the federal government, other governments, we will work closely with our colleagues in the Yukon and Northwest Territories on a Northern Strategy. We're also working with the federal government; we're working with industry. Mr. Speaker, in a lot of ways we have to look at a Northern Strategy on climate change, because we are the ones who are going to feel the impact of it first and also it will impact us in ways that are more extreme, probably, than we'll see in many other parts of the world, in the short term, at least. In the longer term we may see some parts of the world very much impacted as was shown in the Inconvenient Truth, the movie by Al Gore.
Mr. Speaker, there are practical ways that we can all take steps to reduce our energy consumption and I don't think any action taken is too small to be considered. Whether it's switching over from incandescent light bulbs to florescent light bulbs as some other jurisdictions, like Australia, has done and, I believe, New Brunswick is considering it, and I think we should be considering something like that. Mr. Speaker, I'd also say there are practical things we can do right in this House to show leadership and I challenge everybody to drive a smaller, more efficient vehicle than I do.
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Mr. Speaker, we all have to take those little steps to make a difference. I support the need for us to take action, and our not voting today isn't because we don't agree with it in any way but simply because it is direction to government. However, this is probably the most serious issue we have to deal with and I trust that it's not just a passing fad across Canada or North America that people will talk about and then turn their attention to other things later on, but this is a real issue that we have to deal with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.