The PM’s has put his commitment to going green into perspective with his acknowledgement on the weekend that Canada will still be 50% short of its Kyoto targets by 2012. This forces the question of whether John Baird has been sent to the environment department to get action or, as was his role at Treasury Board, to stonewall the Opposition. I also leads one to wonder what will be Jack Layton’s response and whether the NDP’s interest in propping-up the CPC will be sustained.
Just how far is the PM willing to go in terms of accepting NDP amendments to the clean air act, or will he use this to engineer his minority government’s defeat? But can he risk going to the electorate as the government that collapsed early because it would not commit to a rigourous environmental actions plan? Does the PM think the “greens” – the Liberals, NDP, Green Party and BQ – will split the environmentalist vote so that the CPC can coast to a majority?
Three days ago, the media consensus was that the government had a new commitment to environmental action based on the appointment of a vigourous and energetic minister with very close personal ties to the PM and his family. Now we have the PM saying he’s not really all that concerned. Should we be surprised?
Just how far is the PM willing to go in terms of accepting NDP amendments to the clean air act, or will he use this to engineer his minority government’s defeat? But can he risk going to the electorate as the government that collapsed early because it would not commit to a rigourous environmental actions plan? Does the PM think the “greens” – the Liberals, NDP, Green Party and BQ – will split the environmentalist vote so that the CPC can coast to a majority?
Three days ago, the media consensus was that the government had a new commitment to environmental action based on the appointment of a vigourous and energetic minister with very close personal ties to the PM and his family. Now we have the PM saying he’s not really all that concerned. Should we be surprised?
