The Canadian Cop-Out

By
Zeenia Framroze
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The Tar Sands are controversial not only because of their potentially disastrous environmental impact, but also because of how they have fueled tensions between the government and the First Peoples of Canada.

What’s wrong with Canada these days? I remember the good old days, when Canadians championed human rights reforms, pushed for the protection of freshwater, and engaged in all those pleasant international good deeds. In light of this history, Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol is startling. Since the Conservatives took power in 2006, they have made it explicitly clear that they planned to use their legal right to withdraw, but it wasn’t until their formal notice on December 13ththat the reality set in.
The Canadian government cited several reasons for their environmental cop-out: First, that the sheer cost of keeping up with Kyoto made their involvement impractical. At a whopping $13.6 billion, perhaps the Canadians have a point. Second, they argue that since the United States and China (the world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gas) are not members of Kyoto, participation in the Protocol becomes futile and frustrating. Finally, however, what I have contention with is the Environment Minister, Peter Kent’s statement, “’Kyoto is not the path forward for a global solution for climate change.” Then what is the path forward for Canada? The Oil Sands in Alberta? A 50% increase in greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario?
I lived in Toronto for three years, sorted my garbage into all the right bins, and watched my high school adopt an Environmental Sustainability Action Plan and work towards LEED Silver certification. It’s difficult for me to believe that such an environmentally conscious society has so few qualms about the Kyoto dropout. Perhaps it’s the apathy generated by the political switch from the loudly green Liberals to the conservative Harper government. Maybe Canadians just don’t know – after all, most articles in the Globe and Mail or The National Post extol only the benefits that the Alberta Oil Sands hold in store. The Kyoto Protocol is, of course, an ambitious document; but regardless, Canada’s decision to withdraw shouldn’t be viewed as some sort of regrettable reality, it’s just a cop-out of convenience.