A rchive Date
[ 04-09-2002 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/clancy.html
Argument fueled
By ROY CLANCY -- Calgary Sun
September 4, 2002
Ralph Klein is one unhappy premier, but instead of getting mad, it is obvious he plans to get even. For that, Albertans should be thankful.
If anyone held doubts about how much damage a lame-duck prime minister could inflict, they were laid to rest Monday when Jean Chretien announced to the world he plans to ask Parliament to ratify the provisions of the Kyoto Accord before year's end.
The promise was called a "breach of trust" by Alberta Environment Minister Lorne Taylor, who pointed out that Chretien has repeatedly promised he would seek consultation and agreement with the provinces before Kyoto is implemented.
Chretien, emboldened by the likely support of the federal Tories, NDP and Bloc Quebecois, painted opponents' fears of the ramifications of the pact as "disaster scenarios."
The Liberal leader, unwanted and unloved even by his own party, actually joked on Monday that dealing with the consequences of the pact would be the work of the next prime minister. "I have to leave a bit of work to my successor."
In the face of this, you wouldn't blame an enraged Ralph Klein for blasting back with both barrels. Instead, Ralph's response was forceful, yet measured.
Rather than spewing outrage as he contemplated the potential impact of Chretien's words, Klein referred to the prime minister's outrageous statements with the flabbergasted tones more commonly reserved for an eccentric elderly relative.
At the same time, he made it clear that Alberta would consider all its legal and constitutional options for fighting back if the federal government tries to unilaterally ratify the Kyoto protocol.
In an open letter to Chretien, Klein requested a first ministers' meeting on climate change and a "national airing" of the "costed-out options" before the Liberals hold a Commons ratification vote.
Ralph's choice of words are crucial here, for his biggest challenge lies in making his Kyoto case in the court of public opinion.
Canadians, as it stands (and Albertans, for that matter) are solidly behind the climate change provisions laid out in the Kyoto pact. Most of us after all, want our planet to stay healthy and happily support any measures that will accomplish this. It must have something to do with humans' basic instinct for survival of the species.
The Kyoto issue has flown low on the public radar screen. Its complicated technical targets and even more confusing science make if difficult to digest for anyone other than those on the extreme poles of the debate.
Lately, however, there has been an interesting ripple in the tide of public opinion. It turns out support for the Kyoto pact decreases as people find out more about its consequences.
Klein's job as premier of the province that stands to lose the most from the accord is to make sure Canadians, many of whom are unlikely to have much sympathy for "rich" Alberta, think long and hard about the impact it could have on their own lives.
"What's that going to do to mortgage rates," a co-worker worried out loud, as we watched Klein's reaction to Chretien at a televised press conference yesterday. Then we both joked about putting our own economic interests ahead of the health of the planet.
The stark reality here is that these are the trade-offs we must consider.
Even Klein admits the issues are difficult to grasp. "I'm not a scientist," he said yesterday. "I'm going to have to be educated, as are millions of Canadians."
The premier pointed out in his open letter to Chretien that people all over the country will feel the effects of Kyoto -- "at the pump, on their utility bills, at the workplace, and on their ability to find jobs." He admitted there is a huge discrepancy in the predictions held by those on opposing sides of the argument.
Advocates of the accord say it will fuel new jobs and create a $4 billion net gain in the economy, while Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters worry it cost the nation 450,000 jobs. What better reason could there be for a lively - and noisy - public debate on the implications of the Kyoto accord?
And why do its supporters seem so stubbornly reluctant to allow such a debate to proceed?
Letters to the editor should be sent to callet@sunpub.com Clancy can be reached at 250-4235
 World Fact Book (CIA)
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