HOUSE PASSES NON-BINDING KYOTO RESOLUTION

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000214 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA, OES, AND EB DOE FOR POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL EPA FOR OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV ENRG PGOV CA SUBJECT: HOUSE PASSES NON-BINDING KYOTO RESOLUTION ¶1. (U) The House of Commons voted along party lines on Monday to adopt a non-binding resolution calling on the government to "reconfirm Canada's commitment to honor the principles and targets of the Kyoto Protocol in their entirety." Liberal (and Opposition) leader Stephane Dion introduced the measure last week. The motion also called on the government to establish a credible plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a carbon trading system that would penalize large polluters and reward those who cut emissions. ¶2. (U) Prime Minister Harper, seemingly unfazed, skipped the actual vote and reaffirmed his intention to continue developing an environment/climate change program based on the Clean Air Act introduced in the House last October. During the afternoon's Question Period, he derided the Liberals, noting they had made no progress in reducing emissions from 1997 through 2005 and had already announced they would be unable to do so between 2008 and 2012. (If Canada is to meet its Kyoto commitments, Dion has claimed, the Liberals would have to take power this year. Assuming power in 2008 would leave them insufficient time to meet the targets by 2012, he said.) ¶3. (SBU) The actual non-binding resolution carries no weight, but the unanimity of the opposition parties may add a new twist to the debate. At the very least it reflects a continuation of the Liberal strategy of trying to paint the Tories into a corner on the environment. And it is clear that the New Democratic Party is still probing to find its greatest leverage in the environmental arena. While they (the NDP) voted with the Liberals on the Kyoto resolution, NDP environmental critic Nathan Cullen harshly criticized the Liberals, complaining they would be working on amending the Clean Air Act rather than proposing non-binding resolutions if they were truly serious about climate change. Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa WILKINS