Canadian PM Trudeau meets with French President Hollande in Paris

Trudeau’s scheduled meeting Saturday evening with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was cancelled, but officials said the two may meet up Monday when the formal climate conference officially gets underway.

However, as Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion, a former federal Liberal leader and environment minister, reminded reporters on Sunday, the provinces have jurisdiction over electricity and natural resources.

“We will not sacrifice growth”.

Freundel Stuart, the Prime Minister of Barbados, called on Paris attendees to wake up to the issue.

“Canada is back, my friends”. “We’re here to help, to build an agreement that will do our children and grand-children proud”. Alberta, whose oil patch has come under fire as a major polluter, has announced an aggressive plan to address climate change that sets limits on emissions and begins a transition from coal to renewable electricity sources.

During their bilateral, Netanyahu and Trudeau agreed that the Canadian leader would visit Israel soon, although no specific details on when that visit might happen were immediately forthcoming.

Gates announced that private investors are committing $7 billion for research and development of clean energy, while the White House put out a release saying it would double its annual $5 billion-plus for clean tech innovation.

French President Francois Hollande is playing host to to the 21st United Nations “council of the parties”, also known as COP21. He said his province has to do more to lower emissions, but warned that Western Canada’s energy sector has already shed jobs – and he wants to ensure new climate policies cause “no net new harm”.

“In this spirit, we have launched the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub, the Commonwealth Green Finance Facility initiative, and the pioneering global Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network”, he recounted.

“As someone who attends these climate conferences, these are tough negotiations”.

She also said that Canada’s record on fighting climate change really “belongs to the provinces” and the individual efforts they’ve been making over the years. “As a country, we also remain committed to helping rebuild the democratic, economic and security institutions that will help Ukraine flourish once more”, Trudeau said.

Earlier today, Canada made a $30-million contribution towards a $250-million fund to help the world’s poorest countries adapt to immediate climate threats.

Thousands of people packed the shaded square outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on a sunny Sunday afternoon before marching through the city’s downtown core.

“For 20 years, Canadians have been promised a lot of things (on climate change)”, Mulcair said.

‘When the planet speaks we have no choice but to listen, and it has been speaking to us with a daunting eloquence over the last few years.