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Michelle Lalonde, CanWest News Service; Montreal Gazette
Published: Sunday, June 04, 2006
MONTREAL -- Canada's mayors will not let Prime Minister Steven Harper walk away from Canada's international commitments on climate change without a fight, and like their counterparts in the United States, Canada's mayors intend to work toward the goals of the Kyoto Protocol.
At its annual meeting in Montreal Saturday, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, representing 1,400 municipal leaders across Canada, adopted a policy statement supporting Canada's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.
"Municipal governments commit themselves...to implementing policies and operational changes that will achieve a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 30 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050, based on 1990 levels," the statement reads.
Those targets go beyond what Canada committed to in the Kyoto Protocol. The federal government has described the Kyoto targets as impossible to achieve.
Municipal governments can have a major impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Canada by changing land use rules, improving public transit, reducing methane-producing landfill waste, and other concrete measures, according to the FCM statement.
"In Canada, close to 55 per cent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions can be influenced by decisions made by municipal governments," the statement says.
Mayors in the U.S. have mounted an aggressive campaign against the anti-Kyoto stance of President George W. Bush and his administration.
As of May 26, 2006, 238 mayors representing over 45.4 million Americans had signed the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, pledging "to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution by taking action in our own operations and communities."
Lloyd Hines, chair of the FCM's standing committee on environmental issues, said the FCM hopes to be consulted on Harper's climate change plan, promised for this fall. He said FCM members are concerned about the environmental message the Harper government has sent so far.
"They are concerned that there may be some lessening of commitment on Kyoto and other environmental issues," Hines said.
He stressed that the FCM is anxious to build a good relationship with the federal government and wants to be consulted as Harper works to define his so-called "Made in Canada solution" to the climate change issue.
Senior policy analyst Mary Jane Middlekoop said, who was asked by one delegate if the organization intends to "raise holy hell" over the issue, replied: "We intend to raise cool hell."
Montreal executive committee member Alan De Sousa said the FCM has to walk a fine line between maintaining good relations with the federal government and advancing its own environmental policies. But he said FCM members are staunchly committed to fighting climate change with concrete action.
"Fundamentally no one (at the municipal level) is dancing around this issue. (The mayors) have seen the impacts (of climate change) in their communities. They don't have to be convinced."
Environment Minister Rona Ambrose was to address the FCM's meeting today but has cancelled, citing a schedule conflict.
Today, Parti Quebecois Leader Andre Boisclair and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe are expected to launch a Save-Kyoto coalition at a news conference in Old Montreal.
And Monday is World Environment Day, designated by the United Nation's in 1972 as a vehicle to "stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action" and commemorated each year on June 5.
Montreal Gazette http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/info/contactus.html
Michelle Lalonde, CanWest News Service; Montreal Gazette
Published: Sunday, June 04, 2006
MONTREAL -- Canada's mayors will not let Prime Minister Steven Harper walk away from Canada's international commitments on climate change without a fight, and like their counterparts in the United States, Canada's mayors intend to work toward the goals of the Kyoto Protocol.
At its annual meeting in Montreal Saturday, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, representing 1,400 municipal leaders across Canada, adopted a policy statement supporting Canada's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.
"Municipal governments commit themselves...to implementing policies and operational changes that will achieve a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 30 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050, based on 1990 levels," the statement reads.
Those targets go beyond what Canada committed to in the Kyoto Protocol. The federal government has described the Kyoto targets as impossible to achieve.
Municipal governments can have a major impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Canada by changing land use rules, improving public transit, reducing methane-producing landfill waste, and other concrete measures, according to the FCM statement.
"In Canada, close to 55 per cent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions can be influenced by decisions made by municipal governments," the statement says.
Mayors in the U.S. have mounted an aggressive campaign against the anti-Kyoto stance of President George W. Bush and his administration.
As of May 26, 2006, 238 mayors representing over 45.4 million Americans had signed the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, pledging "to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution by taking action in our own operations and communities."
Lloyd Hines, chair of the FCM's standing committee on environmental issues, said the FCM hopes to be consulted on Harper's climate change plan, promised for this fall. He said FCM members are concerned about the environmental message the Harper government has sent so far.
"They are concerned that there may be some lessening of commitment on Kyoto and other environmental issues," Hines said.
He stressed that the FCM is anxious to build a good relationship with the federal government and wants to be consulted as Harper works to define his so-called "Made in Canada solution" to the climate change issue.
Senior policy analyst Mary Jane Middlekoop said, who was asked by one delegate if the organization intends to "raise holy hell" over the issue, replied: "We intend to raise cool hell."
Montreal executive committee member Alan De Sousa said the FCM has to walk a fine line between maintaining good relations with the federal government and advancing its own environmental policies. But he said FCM members are staunchly committed to fighting climate change with concrete action.
"Fundamentally no one (at the municipal level) is dancing around this issue. (The mayors) have seen the impacts (of climate change) in their communities. They don't have to be convinced."
Environment Minister Rona Ambrose was to address the FCM's meeting today but has cancelled, citing a schedule conflict.
Today, Parti Quebecois Leader Andre Boisclair and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe are expected to launch a Save-Kyoto coalition at a news conference in Old Montreal.
And Monday is World Environment Day, designated by the United Nation's in 1972 as a vehicle to "stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action" and commemorated each year on June 5.
Montreal Gazette http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/info/contactus.html
