Harper Misleads Charest

Jean Charest came out of his meeting with Stephen Harper and offered hope that the new government would keep its Kyoto commitments:

Charest says the Kyoto Accord is far from dead even though Harper's Conservatives campaigned against the international climate change protocol.

Charest says Harper will stick with the accord and will seek ways to implement it with the provinces including Quebec.

I was surprised that Harper committed support for Kyoto, especially given his clear position that he would kill it. Well, only a few hours later, the new Environment Minister finally speaks, and her comments serve as proof that Harper was merely telling Charest what he wanted to hear:

EDMONTON (CP) - Canada's new environment minister says she won't support trading emissions credits with other nations or any other international deal that does not have a "direct environmental benefit to Canadians."

Rona Ambrose said she does not see the trading of emissions credits with other countries as being a high priority in her mandate of "cleaning up the air Canadians breathe."...

"That is something that will not happen under a Conservative government. The prime minister has been clear about that."

The Conservatives will use the issue of emissions credits to get us out of Kyoto. There are obvious holes with the credit framework and the Conservatives will exploit this flaw to justify the "made in Canada" approach. Given the fact that Ambrose did work for the Alberta government on the Kyoto Accord, her position is hardly surprising, but it also shows where he loyalties lie- big oil and gas.

Whatever Harper said to Charest today is now irrelevant, when seen in the context of the Environment Minister's first public comments. I hope Charest realizes that Harper was merely feeding him a line on Kyoto to appease, while his government simultaneously begins the assault to dismantle it.