Canadian conservatives promise to scrap Kyoto if elected

Canada could be the next country to put national interest above rhetoric in repudiating the Kyoto Protocol. The leader of the Conservative Party, Stephen Harper, told the Canadian Press (June 9) that he would scrap the implementation of the Kyoto procedures and instead introduce a bill aimed at reducing air pollution by 2010. He said, “Kyoto is never going to be passed and I think we’d be better to spend our time on realistic pollution control measures.”

The measures Harper would introduce instead would focus on genuine pollutants rather than carbon dioxide, but there are few details on the extent of the planned legislation. Canadian environmentalists have reacted with outrage to the suggestion, with the Sierra Club taking the ultimate step of ejecting him from its “eco-Olympics” in protest.

Current polls (Bloomberg News, June 9) show the Conservative Partys surprising revival, with a 37 percent to 34 percent lead over the Liberal Party (there are appreciable third party votes in Canada). It is unlikely with the current polling numbers, however, that the Conservatives will hold a majority of seats in the 308-member House of Commons. Canadas federal elections are scheduled for June 28.