Canada woos Obama with climate-change offer

The race is officially on for Canada’s
Conservative government. Harper’s team has clearly planned to get ahead of the
curve when Barack Obama begins his inevitable action on the climate change
file.

The Globe
and Mail reports that Jim Prentice, Canada’s new Environment Minister, has
offered up plans for a joint climate-change pact with the U.S.

Never mind that substantial action on climate change was shouted down by
Stephen Harper throughout the Canadian election, branded as “crazy”
and “risky” economics. But circumstances changed overnight when the United States
elected a man committed to environmental action.

Obama’s campaign machinery has already staked out the bulk of a major plan for
American energy independence and investment in technologies designed to create
‘green-collar’ jobs. It remains to be seen, however, just where Canada will fit
in to these plans.

Regardless of Ottawa’s speedy overture to Obama’s
soon-to-be government, America’s
new commitment to climate policy will be homegrown, and thus immune to any
meddling from Canada.
The only questions are how far the new Administration will go, and how far Harper’s
Conservatives will follow.
 
Fraser Los is contributing editor with thegreenpages, but his opinions are all his own.