| Open Letter Re: Kyoto |
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| Sunday, 11 January 2009 | |
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Open letter to Ms Nancy Hughes Anthony, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, from Environment Minister David Anderson OTTAWA, Nov. 5 /CNW/ - Dear Ms. Hughes Anthony: I watched and listened with interest and approval when I saw you on CBC television this week, saying there is "a tremendous opportunity for Canada to show leadership on climate change." I agree with you. As you said, we do need to undertake action on climate change in "consensus mode." We need the provinces and territories, the municipalities, consumers and the business community to work together within a national plan. And, as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has said, "it is imperative that we have a coordinated national strategy that engages all Canadians". You say these things, but at the same time, you are doing what you can to undermine the very consensus you claim to want by continuing to provide Canadians with information that is inaccurate and misleading. Far from reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the plan you are promoting would actually allow for higher emissions. Further, the approach you support does not have targets. That's not a plan at all - a "plan" is a strategy that will lead us to a particular objective. You warn of massive job losses and "economic devastation", but offer no analysis to support your predictions. On the other hand, the Government of Canada has worked with all of the provinces and with the private sector to do the best economic modeling possible - and it shows not even a hint of the economic Armageddon you foresee. As you well know, studies show the impact of meeting our climate change targets would be modest, manageable, and distributed fairly and reasonably across all regions and all sectors of our economy. Canada's economy is expected to continue to grow, and grow substantially over the next eight years, expanding by 17.5 per cent by 2010, and generating 1.26 million new jobs. You continue to tell Canadians that we would be "alone in the Americas" in taking this kind of action on climate change, but you don't mention that at the state level, the U.S. is taking significant steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Texas is making massive investments in wind power; the New England states have set CO2 reduction targets and are organizing an emissions-trading system. California - the eight-largest economy in the world - is about to implement the toughest tailpipe emissions standards on earth. There are some 40 U.S. states that are taking climate change measures. Based on the best ideas to come out of ten years of consultations with provinces and territories, industry and Canadians across the country, the Government of Canada has tabled a draft plan that proposes the measures and actions we can take as a nation to meet our climate change objectives. This is truly a made-in-Canada plan, one that has involved every jurisdiction. The draft plan provides reasonable certainty for business, yet is flexible enough to allow it to be adapted to changes in technology and other circumstances as we move forward. By pursuing its international climate change commitments, Canada is giving itself an opportunity to make a gradual transition to the new economy of the future, at the same time allowing Canadian companies to position themselves as more energy efficient and environmentally responsible. Taking climate change action is a huge business opportunity for Canada that the Chamber of Commerce should embrace. I find it difficult to understand how your members, having worked so hard and invested so much in building their responsible corporate images, would want to be associated with the plan you advocate, a plan that so clearly runs counter to their interests, and the interests and aspirations of Canadians today and in the years and decades ahead. |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 February 2009 ) |
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