Canada

The Kyoto Protocol in Canada

Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol on April 29, 1998, and it was ratified by the Canadian government on December 17, 2002. However, when the Conservative Party of Canada won the 2006 election (after four terms of the Liberal Party), the leadership of Steven Harper realized that the Kyoto targets had not been met. Canada was, in fact, far from its objectives. Between 1993 and 2005, greenhouse gas emissions in Canada rose about 25 percent higher than under the previous Liberalled government.

As a consequence, the new Canadian government recognized in 2006 that the goal of the Kyoto commitments was not achievable until 2050 (missing the initial deadline of 2012). In 2007, the federal minister of environment, Rona Ambrose, explained that promises made by the previous government (the Liberal Party of Canada) were impossible to meet, and asked for a realistic compromise that would not disrupt the Canadian economy: “In the real world, the emissions reductions needed in Canada to achieve [Page 155]the Kyoto target are not technically feasible in that time frame,” said Conservative minister Ambrose, adding: “That is why we need new targets and a new Kyoto framework.”

In 2007, John Baird was named as the new Conservative environment minister by Steven Harper, although no changes in policy were decided in regard to the Kyoto target. The ministery at least acknowledges the existence of climate change as an important issue for Canadians.

In December 2007, Baird made a statement after the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali (Indonesia): “Climate change is a global problem requiring global solutions, and we've seen that with today's agreement. We have a track record of leadership on the environment at the G8, APEC, the Commonwealth and the United Nations.” In early 2008, Baird also made a commitment in order to take action to help developing countries fight climate change.

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