The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Prime Minister Stephen HarperÕs Conservative government would do Canadians a big favour if it would just level with them about its real position on international efforts to fight climate change. Instead, the government is talking out of both sides of its mouth. At the United Nations conference on climate change in Bali last December, for example, Environment Minister John Baird took the podium to make this declaration: ÒCanada is committed to developing a new international framework, driven by the science ... Let me be clear, Canada is determined to honour our commitments.Ó At the same time, however, BairdÕs officials were busy behind the scenes, trying to sabotage an agreement on binding commitments. In the same vein, the Conservatives have pledged to honour CanadaÕs obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, except of course for meeting the target for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. But even here, the Harper government has not followed through. The UN Climate Change Secretariat notified Ottawa this week that it has launched an investigation into CanadaÕs failure to meet the Kyoto ProtocolÕs requirements for reporting on emissions. Although the reporting deadline was Jan. 1, 2007, Baird said the contract for setting up the requisite national greenhouse gas registry was not even awarded until this February. ThatÕs more than a year past the deadline. But the fact that Canada is one of only two Kyoto signatories to have broken KyotoÕs reporting rules didnÕt stop Baird from declaring: ÒWe need to have consistent reporting from every country Ð developed, developing or those in transition, and this is important.Ó The truth, as evidenced by the Harper governmentÕs actions, is that it has no interest in advancing these efforts to fight global warming.
