Premiers hope Canada can shed international image as environmental pariah
Premiers praised Justin Trudeau’s willingness to take national leadership on climate change at UN climate summit in Paris.

TheStar.com
Joanna Smith
Nov. 23, 2015

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emerged from his first meeting with provincial and territorial premiers saying they are united on the values behind the battle against climate change and the plan to welcome more Syrian refugees.

“A united Canada will demonstrate that we are serious about climate change. This means making decisions based on science. It means reducing carbon emissions, including carbon pricing, towards a climate-resilient economy,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa Monday night after he wrapped up a First Ministers’ Meeting focused on preparing for the COP21 Paris Climate Conference beginning Nov. 30.

That united front does not mean, however, that all provinces will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the same way, as Trudeau plans to negotiate a Canadian climate strategy that takes into account what the provinces will do, or are already doing.

“It is clear that the way forward for Canada will be in a solution that resembles Canada, that is shared values, or shared desire for outcomes, and different approaches to achieve those outcomes right across this great country,” Trudeau said Monday night.

That message came in response to a note of caution around the collaborative table, as Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall had reminded his fellow premiers that tens of thousands of workers have been laid off across Western Canada as the low price of oil has taken its toll on the energy sector.

“As we prepare for Paris ... we need to be mindful of that fact. We need to work hard to ensure we’re doing no further harm to an industry that is facing great difficulty,” Wall said.

The premiers also discussed the Liberal government’s plan to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees into Canada by the end of this year, and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said questions about security, financing and settlement support were answered to their satisfaction.

Trudeau said he welcomed these “responsible” questions from his provincial counterparts.

“I really have to say that the questions brought up by my fellow first ministers were responsible and precise around the details, around security, around funding, around integration support, but there was never a question of whether or not Canada should be doing more, whether or not Canada should be continuing in the long tradition Canada has always had of welcoming people from disaster zones or conflict areas,” Trudeau said.

The premiers headed into the meeting speaking of collaboration as they prepare for Paris, with some especially buoyed by a decision by Alberta to join Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia in introducing a carbon-pricing scheme to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“I think it’s extremely important, because even with all of the work that Ontario and Quebec and British Columbia had done, there was always a question of where Alberta was going to fit into that story,” Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne told reporters following a meeting with the other premiers at the Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa before they headed over to the Museum of Nature to meet Trudeau.

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark spoke more broadly about the effect the Alberta announcement—and the change in government — might have on the reputation of Canada, as the world can move on to talking about what it is doing, instead of what it is not.

“We are really lifting the curtain on Canada’s success to show the world, and we can only do that if we have a strong voice on the international stage, so that is a big change for us. We have had a black eye for a long time on environmental issues and we have not deserved it,” Clark said ahead of the meeting Tuesday.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard also spoke of using Paris as an opportunity to rebrand Canada as something more than a producer of fossil fuels, noting it is also the third-largest producer of hydroelectricity and will soon have carbon-pricing schemes in four major provinces representing the majority of the population.

“We have a very diverse picture in terms of energy and a very active reality in terms of climate change, and it has to be said much more,” Couillard said.

There remain tough negotiations ahead.

The Trudeau government has decided not to come up with a new national target before heading to COP21, working instead with the target by the previous Conservative government that was to reduce emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and then gather the premiers again within 90 days of Paris to figure out a new one.