Toronto Star:
But Chrétien aide says signing accord a vital step forward
Feb 23, 2007 04:30 AM
Les Whittington
Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA–Eddie Goldenberg, one of former prime minister Jean Chrétien's top aides, says the Liberals went ahead with the Kyoto Protocol on climate change even though they knew there was a good chance Canada wouldn't meet its goals for pollution reduction.
Public opinion was behind the government when it signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1998 and then formally ratified it after a parliamentary debate in 2002, says Goldenberg.
But he doubts Canadians were "then immediately ready for some of the concrete implementation measures that governments would have to take to address the issue of climate change.
"Nor was the government itself even ready at the time with what had to be done," he said in a speech prepared for delivery to the Canadian Club of London, Ont. "The Kyoto targets were extremely ambitious and it was very possible that short-term deadlines would at the end of the day have to be extended."
The protocol, a United Nations-led agreement, calls for Canada to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 per cent below their 1990 levels by 2012.
In 2005, the Liberals under then-prime minister Paul Martin tabled a $10 billion plan to cut emissions between 2008 and 2012. But last fall, former Conservative environment minister Rona Ambrose said there was no possibility of Canada meeting its Kyoto targets and blamed the Liberals for failing to put Canada on track to do so.
In his speech, Goldenberg says even if the Chrétien government was ill prepared to follow through on its Kyoto commitment, signing the accord was vital to alert Canadians to the task of addressing climate change.
"We knew that signing and ratifying Kyoto when we did was absolutely necessary to prepare public opinion for the actions that would have to come in the future," he says.
"The signing of the Kyoto Accord in the face of vigorous opposition served to galvanize public opinion to bring it to where it is today in Canada. In the long run that will be far more important than whether we can meet all the short-term deadlines in the accord."
John Baird, the Conservative environment minister, said he wasn't surprised by Goldenberg's comment. "We always knew that the Liberals had no plan, they took no action and had little intention of doing so," he told reporters in Ottawa.
Toronto Sun Editorial:
Grits knew Kyoto deal just hot air
By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN
While it's obvious Canada's previous Liberal government bought a pig in a poke when it signed the Kyoto accord, it's nice to have it confirmed.
By Eddie Goldenberg, former prime minister Jean Chretien's top aide, no less.
Last week, Goldenberg told a London audience the Liberals knew they couldn't implement Kyoto when they signed it in 1998 and ratified in 2002, but that it was necessary to push public opinion towards accepting implementation of the controversial treaty on global warming.
"Nor was the government itself even ready at the time with what had to be done," Goldenberg acknowledged.
"I believe that the signing of the Kyoto accord in the face of vigorous opposition served to galvanize public opinion to bring it to where it is today in Canada. In the long run, that will be far more important than whether we can meet all the short-term deadlines in the accord."
Goldenberg argued Chretien succeeded in moving public opinion to the point where, today, Ottawa can take tough action to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Those measures, he warned, will result in "big costs in dollars for business, the consumer and for the taxpayer."
To be sure, leading public opinion is something we expect politicians to do.
But the problem for the Liberals is that they did nothing to implement Kyoto after signing it, with the result that they were 35% behind their own emission target when they lost power.
Combine Goldenberg's comments with Liberal leader Stephane Dion's remarks to the National Post last summer that a Liberal government with him as PM would not be able to meet its Kyoto targets -- or, as Dion put it: "In 2008, I will be part of Kyoto, but I will say to the world I don't think I will make it" -- and it shreds what's left of Liberal credibility on this issue. Dion's later explanation was that he meant the Liberals couldn't implement Kyoto if they aren't returned to power before 2008.
In other words, if an election is held this year and they win, they could still do it. Right. And pigs can fly.
The liberals have always taken the citizens of Canada for suckers, and continue to do so.....
Has there been any time since Trudeau that the Liberal Party has actually meant anything they say, or has everything come down to win the polls, win the election??
But Chrétien aide says signing accord a vital step forward
Feb 23, 2007 04:30 AM
Les Whittington
Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA–Eddie Goldenberg, one of former prime minister Jean Chrétien's top aides, says the Liberals went ahead with the Kyoto Protocol on climate change even though they knew there was a good chance Canada wouldn't meet its goals for pollution reduction.
Public opinion was behind the government when it signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1998 and then formally ratified it after a parliamentary debate in 2002, says Goldenberg.
But he doubts Canadians were "then immediately ready for some of the concrete implementation measures that governments would have to take to address the issue of climate change.
"Nor was the government itself even ready at the time with what had to be done," he said in a speech prepared for delivery to the Canadian Club of London, Ont. "The Kyoto targets were extremely ambitious and it was very possible that short-term deadlines would at the end of the day have to be extended."
The protocol, a United Nations-led agreement, calls for Canada to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 per cent below their 1990 levels by 2012.
In 2005, the Liberals under then-prime minister Paul Martin tabled a $10 billion plan to cut emissions between 2008 and 2012. But last fall, former Conservative environment minister Rona Ambrose said there was no possibility of Canada meeting its Kyoto targets and blamed the Liberals for failing to put Canada on track to do so.
In his speech, Goldenberg says even if the Chrétien government was ill prepared to follow through on its Kyoto commitment, signing the accord was vital to alert Canadians to the task of addressing climate change.
"We knew that signing and ratifying Kyoto when we did was absolutely necessary to prepare public opinion for the actions that would have to come in the future," he says.
"The signing of the Kyoto Accord in the face of vigorous opposition served to galvanize public opinion to bring it to where it is today in Canada. In the long run that will be far more important than whether we can meet all the short-term deadlines in the accord."
John Baird, the Conservative environment minister, said he wasn't surprised by Goldenberg's comment. "We always knew that the Liberals had no plan, they took no action and had little intention of doing so," he told reporters in Ottawa.
Toronto Sun Editorial:
Grits knew Kyoto deal just hot air
By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN
While it's obvious Canada's previous Liberal government bought a pig in a poke when it signed the Kyoto accord, it's nice to have it confirmed.
By Eddie Goldenberg, former prime minister Jean Chretien's top aide, no less.
Last week, Goldenberg told a London audience the Liberals knew they couldn't implement Kyoto when they signed it in 1998 and ratified in 2002, but that it was necessary to push public opinion towards accepting implementation of the controversial treaty on global warming.
"Nor was the government itself even ready at the time with what had to be done," Goldenberg acknowledged.
"I believe that the signing of the Kyoto accord in the face of vigorous opposition served to galvanize public opinion to bring it to where it is today in Canada. In the long run, that will be far more important than whether we can meet all the short-term deadlines in the accord."
Goldenberg argued Chretien succeeded in moving public opinion to the point where, today, Ottawa can take tough action to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Those measures, he warned, will result in "big costs in dollars for business, the consumer and for the taxpayer."
To be sure, leading public opinion is something we expect politicians to do.
But the problem for the Liberals is that they did nothing to implement Kyoto after signing it, with the result that they were 35% behind their own emission target when they lost power.
Combine Goldenberg's comments with Liberal leader Stephane Dion's remarks to the National Post last summer that a Liberal government with him as PM would not be able to meet its Kyoto targets -- or, as Dion put it: "In 2008, I will be part of Kyoto, but I will say to the world I don't think I will make it" -- and it shreds what's left of Liberal credibility on this issue. Dion's later explanation was that he meant the Liberals couldn't implement Kyoto if they aren't returned to power before 2008.
In other words, if an election is held this year and they win, they could still do it. Right. And pigs can fly.
The liberals have always taken the citizens of Canada for suckers, and continue to do so.....
Has there been any time since Trudeau that the Liberal Party has actually meant anything they say, or has everything come down to win the polls, win the election??
