I think the government has to reposition environment on top of their national and international priorities.

Every argument that Margaret Thatcher ever made internationally didn't have a great deal to do with her contempt for Communism - she never really got into that. What she talked about was giving freedom to tens of millions of people in Central and Eastern Europe. She was an inspirational leader when it came to discussing her belief in freedom. More visceral and moral.

Trudeau's contribution was not to build Canada but to destroy it, and I had to come in and save it.

Every cabinet minister gets a mission statement from the Prime Minister.

We decided that the environment was an integral part of our policies and the political thrust of our government. We gave it the priority and we sustained it with the money required to make it happen.

For example, the Prime Minister earlier this year talked about the importance of the Arctic to our future. He's right. A hundred years from now, the strength of Canada is going to be coming from our resources in the Arctic.

The Conservatives over the years have done a great deal, from Sir John A, to Diefenbaker, and others.