Speech (committee meeting)

{
    "time": "2007-02-08 12:30:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Nathan Cullen",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"436502\" data-originallang=\"en\">I see. Okay, that starts to square the circle a bit for me.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"436503\" data-originallang=\"en\">All I'd say in my last comment to the committee members is that if we maintain the goal as members of Parliament to have the responsibility that the government performs well when it comes to the environment\u2014and I would suggest performs better\u2014then that watchdog, that role it has\u2014</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"436504\" data-originallang=\"en\">It's a question of legitimate voice. Mr. Calkins talked about the national round table and others, but it seems right now that the word of the Commissioner of the Environment in the last year certainly has been something that each and every member around this table has used to try to effect change. On any notion of losing that\u2014and I know you'll make an argument on one side, of keeping it separate, and I'm going to be making arguments on the other, of having greater independence, not having it a part of your general reports, those types of things\u2014anything we can do to strengthen that, not lessen it, particularly at this crossroads point for our country, seems important, because it's a unique role. I know of no other role, really, in the country, in my experience with the environment, than the one Madame G\u00e9linas occupied in my two and a half years here. It was a very unique voice that we all, from all parties, relied upon consistently, because you couldn't question it. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"436505\" data-originallang=\"en\">And I know you'll make a point as to why it needs to be only backcasting, but I think there's a space\u2014I really believe there's a space\u2014to compare the government's commitments to its plans, and if they don't match, to say so, because in our world, matching promises to the reality is very difficult.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"436506\" data-originallang=\"en\">So I'll leave it there.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"436502\" data-originallang=\"en\">D\u2019accord. J\u2019y vois un peu plus clair maintenant.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"436503\" data-originallang=\"en\">Tout ce que j\u2019ai \u00e0 dire, dans ma derni\u00e8re observation aux membres du comit\u00e9, c\u2019est que si les d\u00e9put\u00e9s veulent continuer \u00e0 veiller \u00e0 ce que le gouvernement fasse ce qu\u2019il faut en mati\u00e8re d\u2019environnement \u2013 ou m\u00eame en fasse davantage \u2014, alors nous avons besoin de ce r\u00f4le de surveillance \u2014</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"436504\" data-originallang=\"en\">Il s\u2019agit d\u2019avoir une voix l\u00e9gitime. M. Calkins a parl\u00e9 de la Table ronde nationale et d\u2019autres, mais j\u2019ai la nette impression que les propos tenus par la commissaire \u00e0 l\u2019environnement au cours de l\u2019ann\u00e9e derni\u00e8re ont servi \u00e0 chacun d\u2019entre nous pour essayer d\u2019apporter des changements. S\u2019il est question de perdre cela \u2014 Vous avancerez des arguments d\u2019un c\u00f4t\u00e9 et j\u2019en avancerai de l\u2019autre en faveur ou contre une fonction distincte, une plus grande ind\u00e9pendance, le maintien comme \u00e9l\u00e9ment de vos rapports g\u00e9n\u00e9raux et tout le reste. Tout ce qui peut renforcer ce r\u00f4le et non l\u2019att\u00e9nuer, surtout au point o\u00f9 nous en sommes actuellement au Canada, me semble important, car c\u2019est un r\u00f4le unique. Je ne connais pas d\u2019autre r\u00f4le, en mati\u00e8re d\u2019environnement, que celui qu\u2019a rempli Mme G\u00e9linas depuis deux ans et demi que je suis ici. Elle repr\u00e9sentait une voie unique sur laquelle nous tous, dans tous les partis, avons compt\u00e9 r\u00e9guli\u00e8rement parce que ce qu\u2019elle disait \u00e9tait incontestable.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"436505\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je sais que vous direz qu\u2019il faut se limiter \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9valuation r\u00e9trospective. Pour ma part, je crois qu\u2019il y a de la place \u2014 je le crois vraiment \u2014 pour comparer les engagements du gouvernement \u00e0 ses plans et, s\u2019ils ne concordent pas, pour le dire tout haut. En effet, dans notre monde, faire concorder les promesses \u00e0 la r\u00e9alit\u00e9 est tr\u00e8s difficile.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"436506\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je crois que j\u2019en resterai l\u00e0.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/committees/environment/39-1/41/nathan-cullen-19/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/nathan-cullen/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/1287/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "1889277",
    "document_url": "/committees/environment/39-1/41/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fcommittees%2Fenvironment%2F39-1%2F41%2F"
    }
}