Leaders agree to pipe down on car exhaust on Hill

Harper, Layton agree that idling vehicles are problem outside House of Commons

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 | 6:17 PM ET

CBC News

Canada's political leaders piped down long enough Wednesday to agree to target a different kind of hot air on Parliament Hill — the kind coming spewing from the exhausts of cabinet ministers' rides.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he thinks the House of Commons should provide a warm place for drivers to wait inside in cold weather to prevent them from idling their vehicles outside.

Currently, the drivers wait in cars outside the building, running their engines to keep warm.

Harper was asked about "limousine" exhaust by NDP Leader Jack Layton, who suggested in Question Period that the government should stop the drivers from idling their vehicles if it was serious about making moves to prevent climate change.

Harper said he agreed with Layton that the idling was a problem. Not all of the vehicles, driven by chauffeurs, are limousines.

"The difficulty is that we have drivers who must be here and who are not allowed a room to wait in the House of Commons in cold weather," Harper said. "I think the House of Commons should rectify that situation."

Layton told Harper that Canadians want leadership from the government on climate change.

"Canadians are firmly committed to the Kyoto Protocol and they want to see action. They want cleaner air to breathe and they haven't been getting it from this government," Layton said.

"Why doesn't the prime minister start taking some action? Let's start by telling his cabinet ministers to stop their limousines from idling day in and day out on Parliament Hill."

Layton said earlier that the Harper government needs to explain its own positions on climate change instead of criticizing the performance of the previous Liberal government.