ENVI Committee Report

Liberal Minority Report – Municipal Solid Waste Management

For whatever reason, the government members on the Environment Committee decided that a study on municipal solid waste would warrant an eight session inquiry. When a committee commences a study in which it has limited jurisdictional competence, it is reasonable to assume that the body of the report will be anodyne and the recommendations vacuous. To no one’s great surprise, the refrain of “what has this to do with the federal government?” was repeated throughout the study.

Notwithstanding the able work of the researchers, government members did not want to see any criticism of government activity or in activity in the body of the report. A 2014 conference Board of Canada report ranks Canada last behind 16 of its peers in the OECD in landfill management and also notes that Canadians produce twice as much waste per capita as Japan. Apparently in a conservative world reality, we see no evil hear no evil and smell no evil.

In spite of the enormous efforts on the part of capable Canadians to come and give testimony to the committee, most of their pleas for a federal government to become more engaged fell on deaf ears. When one of the major recommendations is “That the federal government encourages all Canadians to incorporate the 3Rs- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle –into their daily routines,” it is reasonable to surmise that this report could generously be described as “light.”

The message of the report is clear: don't expect anything from this Conservative government and you won't be disappointed.

The committees report includes three encouragements two “continues to support,” one “continue to work,” and one “consider potential.” It is doubtful that any of the innocuous phrasing will address serious issues raised by the witnesses. For example, one witness noted, “we haven’t really figured out how to reuse as many materials as we could, and we haven’t figured out the best way at all times to recycle materials.” But the recommendation is to encourage Canadians to reduce, reuse and recycle, despite the fact that we haven’t figured out what to do with much of the materials they place at the curb.

Perhaps the reader will be encouraged by the Government’s recommendations and follow its advice with this document by taking it to the curb.