Canada commits $2.65-billion to climate-change funding

The Commonwealth was working on finalising a Climate Finance Access Hub, a network aimed at smaller island states that want to get access to funds to mitigate against the effects of climate change, with Australia already announcing it would be putting money in.

Canada under Stephen Harper and Australia under former prime minister Tony Abbott were both criticized for being climate change policy laggards but Trudeau suggested the two countries have changed their tune.

Canada will give C$2.65 billion ($1.98 billion) over the next five years, the newly elected Trudeau announced during a trip to Malta, where he was meeting the heads of Commonwealth countries.

In Paris, during his meeting with President Francois Hollande prior to COP 21, the Prime Minister will discuss the implementation of CETA, pressing global issues such as the situation in Syria and the migration crisis, and he will reiterate Canada’s priorities for the COP 21 climate conference in Paris.

The funding will help support the transition to low-carbon economies and will target the poorest and most vulnerable countries.

India’s Modi took a pass on Malta and his country is seen as a significant impediment to a global climate change pact, given India’s refusal to rein in its galloping greenhouse gas emissions.

“All the stars seem to be aligning in one direction”, said Ban before praising France for carrying on with the massive, two-week climate conference despite the deadly November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris that claimed at least 130 lives. Dion said he’s been consulting with Canada’s allies and explaining that Canada “has better skills to offer the coalition”.

“Everyone wants the United States to be part of this treaty and… there are political realities in the United States”, said McKenna.

“This is not to say that these strategies should not be pursued”, the report concludes, “but the constant demonization of Canada, its economy, and its energy sector, being portrayed as catastrophically sending the world reeling to irreversible destructive climate change, is also irresponsible and utterly false”.

Trudeau rubbed shoulders with royalty at the Malta summit.

The summits are only held every two years and the next two are being held in Vanuatu in the south Pacific and Malaysia.

That work began Thursday evening as Trudeau met with Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at the Auberge de Castille, the presidential office.

Trudeau hasn’t quite been the global media sensation like at the G20 and APEC summits last week.

Prime Minister David Cameron was greeted by his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau with a patronising handshake outside 10 Downing Street today. “I am your twelfth”. “You more than honoured your vow”.