Real Action on Climate Change

March 11, 2008

For years, Canadians concerned about climate change have watched in frustration as successive Liberal governments made empty promise after empty promise on the environment.

Thanks to 13 years of Liberal inaction, Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions rose to 32% above the targets agreed to in the Kyoto Protocol and Canada’s air quality dropped to next-to-last in the OECD.

Much of the blame for Canada’s shameful record can be assigned to current Liberal leader (and former Environment Minister) Stéphane Dion. Even Mr. Dion’s own deputy leader has confessed, “Stéphane, we didn’t get it done.”

Yesterday, the era of empty Liberal promises came to an end as Environment Minister John Baird unveiled tough new environmental regulations that will reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions to 20% below 2006 levels by 2020.

With its Turning the Corner plan, the Conservative Government is taking action by establishing:

• Tough mandatory emissions targets across all industrial sectors;
• A carbon emissions trading market, including a carbon offset program; and
• A market price for carbon.
  

Strong leadership means setting priorities and getting the job done. Stéphane Dion had his chance and failed miserably. With real mandatory targets across multiple sectors of the economy, the Conservative Government is showing real leadership. With real action on the environment, the Conservative Government is building a brighter future for us all.

Strong leadership. A better Canada.