Trudeau’s Government Believes In Climate Change, Wants to Do Something About It

It not only responds to recommendations of the Climate Change Advisory Panel (“Panel”), which the provincial government appointed this past summer, but also fulfills the Premier’s promise to disclose Alberta’s new climate change policy initiatives before the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (“COP 21”) in Paris later this month.

It’s the second foreign mission for Trudeau in a couple of weeks, having just returned from the G20 Summit in Turkey and an APEC meeting in the Philippines.

Trudeau is travelling with his wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, and two of their three youngsters, Ella-Grace and Hadrien, are along for the trip. Trudeau’s been getting a warm global welcome simply for repeatedly stating that his government is prepared to play a constructive role and do its part.

The prime minister, wife and kids, along with a few of Trudeau’s aides waited in the antechamber at Buckingham Palace for Her Majesty. No doubt another lesson from her time in politics.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jets off for his second worldwide foray in as many weeks this evening but this time he’s got a little wind at his back.

“She was always lovely and gracious”.

“They were nice moments because I knew how much my dad liked her. You could tell my dad was really proud to be introducing his son to the Queen”. The escalating crisis between Turkey and Russia is nearly certainly to come up, after Turkish aircraft shot down a Russian jet near the Turkish-Syrian border. He is the author of Irresponsible Government: The Decline of Parliamentary Democracy in Canada. “We’re anxious that that $3 billion will turn into a slush fund”.

Leaders will select a new secretary-general to succeed Kamalesh Sharma, a former Indian diplomat who has led the organization since 2008.

“Canada can not solve its climate issue without Alberta doing something ambitious”, said Anthony Swift, director of the Canada Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council. But both were met with somewhat muted public reaction because they are only the latest in a long string of climate change announcements in those jurisdictions.

Jim Prentice replaced her, but indignation with the provincial Tories continued and eventually led to their downfall in Alberta’s provincial election last May by Notley’s NDP.

“I have a way to negotiate a good run off of the coal that is pragmatic, doesn’t result in stranded capital and I have a market for gas and renewables, which is the other half of my business”, Farrell added.

The meeting was called to plan for the upcoming climate talks in Paris, to be held at the end of November.

Harper boycotted the Sri Lanka gathering, saying that attending the meeting would have effectively endorsed the country’s bad human rights record. The Conservative government also cut off millions in Canadian funding for the grouping of 54 countries formerly under British rule, waiting out Sri Lanka’s two-year chairmanship. Canada is the second-highest contributor to the Commonwealth, next to the United Kingdom.

“After the Paris conference, we will again meet with the provinces and work together toward a pan-Canadian framework where we can collaboratively advance concrete actions to tackle climate change”, said McKenna.

Alberta’s comprehensive strategy to phase out coal power, ramp up renewable energy, put a price on carbon pollution and limit emissions from oil sands demonstrates that provinces can take strong, determined leadership on climate change, even those with economies traditionally linked to fossil fuel development. It also creates the conditions for Alberta’s oil to become carbon competitive on the global stage and for Canadians to begin receiving full value for their oil exports.

So, what does the government plan to do about its newfound commitment to climate change?