The government attempt to get its ethanol legislation through the House of Commons made some small progress last week, but also hit another hurdle as opponents refused to let it come to a vote May 2 and it slid down the list of government priorities for Commons time.
Bill C-33 is not scheduled to be called for debate this week and, with no more than five weeks of parliamentary time left before the summer break, some MPs are suggesting it may not win approval before summer.
Last week, agriculture minister Gerry Ritz expressed his frustration at the delay, mentioning both opposition critics and a barrage of newspaper editorials criticizing the use of food crops for fuel production.
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“No one thought when we brought it in that this type of bill would face this kind of adversity because all of us aggressively campaigned on this issue throughout past elections,” the minister said as he kicked off third reading debate May 2. “It shows real leadership by a government that in the face of a lot of adverse media and so on moved ahead with the right thing at the right time.”
Ritz promised that the bill will pass, although it then would have to get through the Senate to become law.
However, critics’ voices have been rising in Parliament the longer the debate continues.
The New Democratic Party, which once considered the Conservative promise of a five percent mandate for ethanol by 2010 too timid, now essentially opposes the legislation.
Technically, New Democrat speakers say they want the bill to return to the agriculture committee for amendment so MPs can scrutinize regulations passed under the authority of the bill. They insist the party still supports biofuel development in principle.
But their speeches increasingly tie biofuel production to the world food crisis and the concern that government subsidies to the industry are the wrong way to go.
Bloc Québécois MPs also have been increasingly negative while still insisting they support the industry. They also have been questioning the use of food for fuel.
Even the Liberal caucus seems increasingly divided, although the party’s official position is that a 10 percent ethanol mandate is required. The Liberal caucus joined with the Conservatives to send the bill to third reading debate.
Still, Liberals are more skeptical.
On May 2, Toronto Liberal MP Mario Silva told the minister he had “serious concerns and reservations” although he also said three times in a short question that he is not opposed to biofuel.
Ritz told the Commons there is no conflict between food and fuel since only five percent of Canadian cropland is used to grow crops for biofuel production.
And he mocked the NDP policy switch.
“They have two basic philosophies – the sky is falling or nobody moves, nobody gets hurt,” he said. “I really get tired of their intransigence on every issue.”
By week’s end, though, there were signs the Conservatives were uneasy that the focus on the food versus fuel debate and criticism from senior United Nations, aid agency and World Bank officials was undermining support for biofuel development.
In a planted question during May 2 question period, Ontario Conservative Jeff Watson asked how the Conservative biofuel program is helping fight world hunger.
“Our plan for biofuels permits us to counter the world food shortage,” replied agriculture secretary of state Christian Paradis. “Biofuels stimulate the economy and they will provide the means to do more for the planet.”
