AP News, February 15th, 2007
Opposition members of Parliament forced through legislation Wednesday that requires the Conservative government to meet its stiff commitments under the Kyoto accord to combat global warning.
The Tories have suggested the government would simply ignore the bill if it became law, but constitutional experts have said the government must respect laws passed by Parliament.
The bill passed 161-113 in the House of Commons and is expected to swiftly pass through the Senate, which is dominated by Liberals. That would leave Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the sticky situation of either respecting the Kyoto accord or facing a possible vote of no-confidence.
"They are bound to it. It's the law of the land," said bill sponsor Pablo Rodriguez. "The prime minister cannot cherry pick laws. He's not the new emperor of Canada."
He said that if the Harper government did not respect the law, "we go to the courts."
The measure gives the government 60 days to present a detailed plan for meeting Kyoto targets to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 6 percent from 1990 levels by 2012. It also compels the government to set fines or jail terms for businesses and industries that over-pollute.
The Tories argue Kyoto could cost as much as $8.5 billion to implement. The government calls the Kyoto targets unattainable and dangerous to the economy.
Harper has tried to temper the bill, announcing Monday a proposed $1.3 billion eco-fund for provinces. In the past month Harper has also announced proposals such as tax credits for public transit users, as well as renewable fuel and forest protection initiatives.
The 1997 Kyoto pact requires 35 industrial nations to cut their greenhouse gases by an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. Although the United States is the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gas, President Bush has argued that joining Kyoto would slow the economy intolerably and that it should have required reductions by poorer but fast-growing nations, such as China and India.
