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Home > News > 2007 > News Release
Canadian Council for International Co-operation
Assembly of First Nations
David Suzuki Foundation
For release: June 5, 2007
National Leaders to Prime Minster and Senate:
Ensure Environment, First Nations and Foreign Aid Bills Considered before Summer Break
(Ottawa) Phil Fontaine, David Suzuki and Gerry Barr appeared on Parliament Hill today to call on Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Senate leaders to do all they can to ensure that three crucial Bills are considered before the Senate breaks for the summer.
The three Bills (Bill C-292, Kelowna Accord Implementation Act, Bill C-288, the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act and Bill C-293, the Development Assistance Accountability Act) were all passed in the House of Commons and are now before the Senate. If the government decides to prorogue Parliament, the Bills, at the very least will suffer major set backs and could be lost.
“It would be, to say the least, a great public shame if the work that has gone into the development of these Bills were squandered not because of voted opposition to the Bills but because the legislative calendar had run out,” says Gerry Barr, President-CEO of the Canadian Council for International Co-operation and Chair of Make Poverty History.
“Bill C-292 is important as it represents a consensus of all governments that a new relationship is required as a key element in addressing First Nations' poverty.” said Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. It is clear to us, and to all Canadians, that the majority of elected representatives support Kelowna's targets and objectives, which will help improve the quality of life for First Nations.”
"Global warming is one of Canada's greatest challenges and Bill C-288 is part of the solution," says David Suzuki. "All three bills have the support of the Canadian public. It would be a blow to democracy in this country if they were further delayed or potentially lost because of an obscure parliamentary rule."
During the press conference, Phil Fontaine, David Suzuki and Gerry Barr co-signed an open letter to Prime Minister Harper calling on him not to prorogue Parliament and to allow the Senate the time it needs to consider these critical Bills.
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Related material:
Backgrounder
Letter to Prime Minister Harper
For more information:
info@climateactionnetwork.ca
David Suzuki Foundation
Backgrounder
Bill C-288: the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act
Summary
If passed, this bill would ensure that the federal government meets Canada's Kyoto Protocol target. C-288 requires the government to table an annual plan to reach Canada's target, and to put that plan into effect through regulations or other measures.
Background
Global warming is one of the most profound threats facing humanity. The Kyoto Protocol, negotiated in 1997, is an international agreement aimed at reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change in the years from 2008-12.
With over 170 countries as parties, the Kyoto Protocol is the only global agreement to set binding targets and timelines to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. The protocol is just a first step in curbing global warming, but it's a crucial one, as the science confirms that there is no time to lose in starting down the path to deep emission cuts.
Having ratified Kyoto in 2002, Canada is already obligated to reach its Kyoto emissions target under international law. If passed, Bill C-288 would reaffirm Canada's Kyoto obligations in domestic law and create a binding legal requirement on the government to:
- produce a credible plan to reach Canada's Kyoto target
- implement that plan through regulations or other measures.
The plan would be audited each year by the independent, non-partisan National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE), to ensure that the government is indeed on track to meet the target.
Canada can meet its Kyoto target if the federal government combines immediate, strong action to begin cutting emissions at home with investments in certified emission-reduction projects in poorer countries. Greenhouse gas reductions are equally effective in protecting Canada from climate change wherever in the world those reductions occur.
Political positions
All three opposition parties - who form a majority in Canada's parliament - support Bill C-288. On February 14, 2007, C-288 passed a third reading vote in the House of Commons with 161 MPs voting in favour (and 113 against). The bill has been studied by a Senate committee and was referred back to the Senate without amendment. C-288 began its final legislative stage, third reading in the Senate, on May 29. All that remains for C-288 to become law is a final debate and vote in the Senate.
Speaking to the House of Commons environment committee on May 29, Environment Minister John Baird said that “our government still supports the protocol [Kyoto]. Our issue is not with the treaty. Frankly we don't even take issue with the targets, it's simply a question of timing.” Minister Baird's “Turning the Corner” plan would see Canada reach its Kyoto target after 2020, about a decade after the Kyoto deadline has passed.
In a 2006 poll, 77% of Canadians agreed that Canada should “meet or exceed” its Kyoto targets (source: McAllister Opinion Research, Sept. 4, 2006. Canadians public at odds with Ottawa on climate change).
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