Pembina reacts to Minister Kent's remarks on climate change

VANCOUVER —

Matt Horne, director of the Pembina Institute's climate change program,
made the following statement in response to Environment Minister Peter Kent's
speech to the Toronto Economic Club today:

"Minister Kent's speech is more notable for
its glaring omissions and misrepresentative statements about Canada's performance
than for the $30 million per year promised for domestic climate change
adaptation. The government's positioning shows a continued 'head in the sand'
mentality that falls desperately short of the expectations of Canadians and the
international community.

"Frustratingly, the government continues to
praise itself for its estimate that the combined efforts of federal and
provincial governments only get Canada one quarter of the way toward the
federal government's 2020 pollution reduction commitments. This misplaced
confidence should be setting off alarm bells because we still have so many
holes in our approach to reducing climate pollution, and so little time to fill
them.

"If the government is truly serious about
advancing international talks on addressing climate change, it needs to
demonstrate how it will achieve the commitments it has already made. Canada
should be leading at home and advancing constructive solutions abroad, rather
than lagging at home and undermining international efforts to address
greenhouse gas pollution.

"Minister Kent's speech, and its lack of
substance, stands in stark contrast to yesterday's actions in Australia. A
country of similar population and economy, Australia's government passed a
carbon tax that, in addition to sending a strong price signal to move away from
dirty energy sources, will provide $10 billion over five years for citizens and
businesses to make the shift to cleaner options.

"When the federal government's own advisory
panel has found that catastrophic climate change could wipe out up to 25 per
cent of Canada's GDP, our government must demonstrate how it will avoid that
scenario by dramatically reducing our own pollution and being a constructive
player in the international negotiations."

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