Climate Action Network Canada

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Home > News > 2010 > News Release

For release January 31, 2010

Canada’s new climate change target distracts attention from government inaction

(Ottawa) This weekend, Prime Minister Harper submitted a new target for reducing greenhouse gas pollution to the United Nations and officially signed-up to the Copenhagen Accord, the controversial agreement that came out of the UN climate change conference in December.

“The new target represents a significant weakening of Canada’s already weak position, but there is no point in debating the target because the Prime Minister has no intention of meeting it,” says Graham Saul of Climate Action Network Canada.

“Mr. Harper has come up with one excuse after another to do nothing to fight climate change. Now they have announced a declaration of dependence on the United States and they are openly admitting that they are going to do as little as possible until other countries force them to take action. It is a disgrace. Four years after calling for a Made in Canada solution to climate change, Prime Minister Harper is now telling Canadians that we should sit back and wait for a solution that is Made in the USA,” says Saul.

"I wish I was surprised by this announcement. Mr. Harper doesn’t have a functioning system for regulating greenhouse gas pollution, he has thrown out his previous plans, and he has refused to follow the Obama administration’s lead and make meaningful investments in clean energy jobs,” says John Bennett, Executive Director of Sierra Club Canada. “The new target is just the latest decoy set up to distract attention away from the fact that the government isn’t actually doing anything."

“Canada is one of the top ten greenhouse gas polluters in the world and doing nothing is completely unacceptable. It is time to stop debating the Harper Government’s target until the day that Canada’s target actually means something again,” says Bennett.

Doing nothing is NOT a climate change plan. Mr. Harper, get to work!

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Climate Action Network Canada has submitted a detailed letter to Minister Prentice outlining our concerns with the Canadian Government's current position on climate change. Please find this letter attached. It can also be viewed at www.climateactionnetwork.ca

For media and further inquiries please contact:

Hannah McKinnon

613.276.7791

For more information and press releases please visit:
www.climateactionnetwork.ca

CAN_Letter_to_Minister_Prentice.pdf