Our new hero?
Canada's new environment minister, John Baird, isn't saying what he'll try to do about global warming, but he suggested in a CBC interview that weird weather has eliminated any doubts that temperatures are rising.
"I mean, I grew up here in Ottawa, lived here my entire life, and I can't remember a winter where I didn't have to use my boots," he told Heather Hiscox of CBC Newsworld. "I left the house without even a winter coat this morning. So that's obviously a huge concern."
John Baird has replaced Rona Ambrose as environment minister.
Baird, who stressed that he was just 20 hours into the job and still needs to be "briefed up," replaced Rona Ambrose, who had struggled to defend the government's have-it-both-ways stand on the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
"Canadians … are pretty skeptical when it comes to climate change because they saw the previous government for 13 long years increase greenhouse gas emission by 30 per cent, at the same time wearing a cloak of green. So Canadians want to see some real action and one that will have results and not just rhetoric."
Canadians want a minister who's going to be concerned," he said.
"I think [Liberal Leader] Stéphane Dion has clearly said he's very concerned about the issue, but people aren't going to look at what you say. They're going to look at what you do, and the Liberals' record on this is pretty bad."
Dion, in a separate Newsworld interview, said his own emphasis on environmental policy may have helped to push Harper to change his tone on global warming.
The prime minister "received a wakeup call, maybe from me, but from all Canadians," but it remains to be seen how serious he is about it, the Liberal leader said.
"It will not be difficult to do more than he did last year. Last year, he cut 90 per cent of the programs for environment and climate change. Last year, he embarrassed the country with his approach regarding Kyoto on the international stage.
"So I hope we will see some improvement, even though it will stay far from what we really need to do … and if he is willing to improve even a bit what he did last year, this will be very positive."
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