Harper Will Kill Kyoto Agreement - News Report

Its official now: Harper would turn his back on Kyoto

A Conservative government would turn its back on the Kyoto accord and set its own targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, party leader Stephen Harper said Thursday.

The accord’s targets cannot be met either internationally or within Canada, Mr. Harper said, citing the country’s woeful record on climate change since the agreement was signed in 1997.

“The Kyoto accord will not succeed at achieving its objectives and this government — the Canadian government — cannot achieve its objectives,” Mr. Harper said.

While this is extremely disappointing, it can hardly be said to be a surprise. Harper and policy critics in the Conservative Party who have a hand on the environmental file have been saying for years that Kyoto was a mistake and that they’d rip it up if ever given the chance.

Kyoto isn’t a perfect agreement, but its the only international effort to do something about climate change.

A Conservative government led by Stephen Harper, directed from the background by the petro-chemical industry, doesn’t care about climate change, doesn’t want to recognize it. Fact: Stephen Harper has said in this election and before that he would rip it up. Fact: The Conservative policy declaration, the first official policy document of the newly merged party, of March 2005 doesn’t mention climate change even once. Doesn’t mention greenhouse gas or CO2 emissions even once. Fact: That same policy document in plain view says that a Harper-led Conservative government will tear up its international treaty obligations.

For more detail on how those opposed to Kyoto and Canada’s participation use deception to further their agenda, see Greenhouse Gas Emissions Misdirection.

And Stephen Harper… who DID contribute to your run for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance? Canadians have a right to know.