News
Biofuels bill is passed in the House of Commons

May 28, 2008

Ottawa, Ont. – Today, the Government of Canada celebrated the passage of its biofuels
legislation through the House of Commons, which allows requirements that all
gasoline sold in Canada contain five percent ethanol by 2010, and all diesel
and heating oil contain two percent renewable fuels by 2012. The legislation
will now proceed to the Senate of Canada for debate.

The Government introduced Canada’s
Biofuels Strategy in 2006 to increase opportunities in the biofuels industry
and ensure Canadians will have cleaner air for generations to come.

"This Government’s biofuels
strategy will create jobs in our communities, local markets for our farmers,
and a new source of cleaner-burning, renewable fuel to protect our
environment," said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. "It is
unfortunate that the NDP and Bloc voted against this legislation, because it’s
a double-win for both farmers in Canada and the environment."

"In 2006, our government announced
these biofuels goals, and we’ve swiftly taken the right steps to ensure our
goals are met for the benefit of both the environment and for farmers,"
said Environment Minister John Baird. "In fact, this biofuels plan will
amount to the equivalent environmental benefit of taking one million cars off
the road."

The biofuels strategy is part of the
government’s balance plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by
2020. It also represents a tremendous economic opportunity for the country’s
61,000 grain and oilseeds producers as well as for those involved in the
creation of the next generation of biofuels. The government is investing $500
million in the development of new biofuels technologies. Next generation
technologies such as cellulosic biofuels are taking the discarded stocks of
corn plants to produce fuel while sending the corn kernels back into the food
supply.