Ontario, Quebec say they won’t shoulder oilsands burden
By Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald
December 13, 2009
COPENHAGEN — Delegations from Ontario and Quebec wasted no time before differentiating their position from the federal government’s after arriving Sunday at the climate change conference in Copenhagen — declaring they weren’t going to carry higher emission-reduction burdens for the sake of oilsands expansion in the Western provinces.
"I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out that with the tar sand oils that are being developed in Alberta and Saskatchewan that — of discussions that I’ve seen and been a part of — they want to continue to develop those," said Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen.
"Obviously if they are developed there might have to be larger greenhouse gas emissions (reductions) elsewhere in the country in order to meet our overall targets. And we want fairness."
Gerretsen and Quebec Environment Minister Line Beauchamp held a joint news conference to say the two provinces — home to two-thirds of Canadians — will continue to work together to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. They also said the federal government’s targets are weak.
“We’re disappointed with the Canadian position,” Beauchamp said. But “we are carefully confident that things will advance between now and Friday. Of course we hope that Canada will take advantage of this movement to announce new targets.”
Canada’s Environment Minister Jim Prentice leads Canada’s delegation to Copenhagen Dec. 7-18 for international talks on a new climate change pact. The minister has also invited opposition party members, and provincial and territorial premiers and environment ministers.
One thing has remained constant throughout the talks: Canada has been criticized for not pledging sharper emissions cuts, for failing to meet its early Kyoto Protocol emission reduction targets, and for the growing emissions of Alberta’s oilsands.
"I think the federal government seems to certainly want to hear more from the provinces this time around. But I mean in the end result, what is the ultimate target that the federal government is going to set?" he said.
"They are simply not in line with what we are doing as provinces."
Noting the negative attention Canada has received from environmental groups at the conference, Gerretsen echoed Toronto Mayor David Miller’s comments from earlier in the week. "It can be an embarrassment to us," Gerretsen said. "We would much rather be seen as the consensus-builders, as we have often have been at these international conferences."
Ontario is pledging to reduce emissions by 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. Quebec is slightly more ambitious, pledging 20 per cent.
On the other hand, Canada has set a national target that will result in greenhouse gas emission reductions of three per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. Alberta’s provincial goal would see emissions continue to rise until 2020, when it’s planned that they will level off and then begin a decline.
Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner wasn’t available for comment Sunday night, but will arrive in Copenhagen on Tuesday.
"I’m going to Copenhagen as a proud Albertan," Renner said last week. "Alberta can hold its head high as a responsible major global energy producer already acting to make real greenhouse-gas reduction."
In the months leading up to Copenhagen, environmental activist organizations have put a spotlight on Alberta’s oilsands development. But Renner said there is no reason to single out Alberta’s oil activity over development in Venezuela or California.
"Alberta is committed to do our share and we’re not asking (for) any kind of special concessions or any kind of exemptions for the oilsands," he said.
"We’re simply saying that if there are going to be ... targets established for the oil and gas industry on a worldwide basis, let’s ensure that Alberta’s oilsands are not singled out."
In Copenhagen on Sunday, Gerretsen said there are two discussions that need to take place: one about worldwide greenhouse gas reductions, the other about the level of reductions in each individual part of Canada.
"What should happen internally within Canada when one part of the country apparently wants to have lower reduction targets than the rest of Canada? Those are the kind of decisions that we’ll have to work on internally. And quite frankly, I don’t think that Copenhagen is the best place to do that."
Meanwhile, Prentice responded with some concurrence to a report that former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin said the U.S., as the largest importer of Canadian oil, should shoulder some of the cost-burden for Canadian greenhouse gas emissions.
“We have always been concerned in developing the concept of a continental cap-and-trade system that there not be a downloading of environmental obligations on Canada from foreign consumption of energy,” Prentice said.
Calgary Herald
kcryderman@theherald.canwest.com
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