(K): And that's the Harper government's stand on our environment..... in a nutshell they call the Tories..... _______________________ From Monday's Globe and Mail - December 3, 2007 Tories turn to ex-PQ premier for Bali talks Move could be critical in Quebec, where Conservatives face heat for Kyoto criticisms OTTAWA - The Conservative government has moved to burnish its environmental credentials and head off Quebec opposition to its global warming plan by appointing a former Parti Québécois premier to lead its advisory team at a critical international meeting. Sources have told The Globe and Mail that Pierre-Marc Johnson, Quebec premier for part of 1985, will head the panel that will counsel the government on how to proceed at meetings in Bali, Indonesia, that start Monday. The move also appears to be an effort to blunt criticism from those angry that the government will not take opposition politicians to the meeting. The Quebec government has expressed dissatisfaction with the federal environmental position in advance of the meetings, which are aimed at finding a way forward after the Kyoto environmental accord runs out in 2012. Three others who will join the panel include Mary Simon, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami; Ian Morton, chief executive officer of Summerhill Group; and Elizabeth Dowdeswell, former chief of the United Nations Environment Programme. Mr. Johnson's appointment could be critical for the government in Quebec, where the Tories are facing opposition for their criticisms of Kyoto and for opposing binding commitments to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in developed countries. Mr. Johnson once served as vice-chairman of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy and has written a book on the environment and the North American Free Trade Agreement. Mr. Johnson said in an interview that one of the chief priorities of the talks must be to get China, India and the United States to come into a new framework. He added that Canada can play a significant role in bringing the United States into the mix. "Obviously I believe that China, India and the U.S. have to be in the post-Kyoto process", he said. He added, however, that not all nations have to have the same targets. A new framework can allow for differentiation and maybe we have to recognize that. The Quebec government, which will be a part of the Canadian delegation, intends to express its support for binding targets. The PQ opposition in the province wants a more forceful expression of dissent. Quebec residents are among the most supportive in the country of the Kyoto accord. [...] Mr. Baird said Canada's delegation will focus on getting specific commitments from all the major polluters to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. There is no successful agreement that does not include everyone, he said. The Conservative government has pledged to cut emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. But accomplishing that can't mean simply shifting the environmental toll elsewhere while doing business as usual at home, Mr. Baird said, which means any climate-change agreement must win the support of countries such as the United States, India and China. [...] Aside from producing a new road map on how to replace Kyoto, representatives from more than 180 countries in Bali will also consider whether cuts should be mandatory or voluntary and on how to help poorer nations. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" We're in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyone's arguing over where they're going to sit. - David Suzuki """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"sdgreen" <sd.green@shaw.ca> wrote in message news:tMH5j.762$iU.300@pd7urf2no... > > "Karen Gordon" <ar231@FreeNet.Carleton.CA> wrote in message > news:fj7f6m$1en$1@theodyn.ncf.ca... >> (K): And that's the Harper government's stand on our environment..... in >> a nutshell they call the Tories..... >> _______________________ >> > > No that is not the approach. Canada is proceeding on a comprehensive > reduction program of GHGs. At the same time we are saying that ALL nations > need to reduce. > > As it stands right now, the flawed Kyoto Protocol does not require > China/India and a number of other nations to reduce their GHGs at all. > > If you don't understand that, then you are dense. > > -- > Karen is on that part of her cycle -- Terry Pearson Pro- Israel and proud of it http://www.therightpoint.ca Shaping Canada's Destiny ========================== The folks on Canadian politics are in unanimous agreement that Dielly the dimwit is a liar -------------------------------------------------- The folks on Canadian politics are in unanimous agreement that Mark Hansel is a crackpot. -------------------------------------------------------------- The folks on Canadian politics are in unanimous agreement that Dumbski is an unemployed bum. ********************************************* Liberalism = Entitlement Culture= Corruption ------------------------------------------- There are some opinions so stupid, only socialists could hold them. ------------------------------------------- "It is as useless to argue with those who have renounced the use of reason as to administer medication to the dead." - Thomas Jefferson --------------------------------------