Said1
Gold Member
I love it when the Liberals act so shocked and "appauled". Like they were actually making "progress" with Kyoto targets. Thank heavens for Industrial underdevelopment in Russia, those fines would have hurt. Oh, oh, we'll lose the respect of the UN.
ContinuedLiberals demand environment minister recall Kyoto delegation and resign
Published: Saturday, May 20, 2006
OTTAWA (CP) - The federal Liberals are demanding Environment Minister Rona Ambrose recall Canada's delegation from Bonn after they said she deliberately tried to "undermine" the Kyoto protocol.
And Opposition environment critic Scott Brison says Ambrose herself should resign as chair at the Conference of the Parties because of what he calls "her covert attempts to sabotage the development of a binding international consensus on global warming."
"This is not only outrageous, it is dangerously duplicitous," Brison said in a statement Saturday.
"Ms. Ambrose's actions risk irreparably damaging Canada's reputation at the United Nations and will compromise any progress at the Conference of the Parties."
Ambrose has reportedly instructed her delegation at the Kyoto talks that Canada no longer supports a "continuation of the status quo beyond 2012" and wants a new agreement that allows for "different types of commitments based on national circumstances."
A spokesman for Ambrose suggested the Liberals are on shaky ground because greenhouse gas emissions rose 35 per cent over Canada's Kyoto target during their tenure.
"Under our new government, Canada will be a leader on the global dialogue on greenhouse gas emissions," said Ryan Sparrow. "We will also work to develop a made-in-Canada plan to clean up our environment at home."
Only 19 of 38 Kyoto signatories have reported "demonstrated progress" in achieving their emission-reduction targets, Ambrose's office said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, in Nova Scotia on Saturday to stump for the Conservatives ahead of next month's provincial election, insisted Ottawa is committed to addressing greenhouse gases.
"This isn't about abandoning Kyoto, this is about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and doing what the Liberals failed to do," said MacKay.
"Putting words and signatures on a piece of paper mean nothing if you're not going about doing the actual work to reduce greenhouse gas. Rona Ambrose and her department are doing just that."
MacKay said that the United States has had success in reducing greenhouse gases without signing onto Kyoto.
"It proves that there's no magic solution (through) just having your name on the Kyoto accord," said MacKay.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday that his government is interested in the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, which has no fixed emission targets or mandatory commitments.
Environmentalist Elizabeth May said that the minority Tories are trying to do too much for a government elected with only 36 per cent of the national vote. She called their environmental strategy "an appalling betrayal of Canadians."
May, a Green Party leadership candidate, said the Asia Pacific partnership has "nothing to do with emissions reduction; it has everything to do with public relations and propaganda."