Cullen Shadows Ambrose at Nairobi conference

Nathan Cullen, the federal NDP’s designated authority on climate change is in Kenya this week taking part in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change which is dealing with the world’s concerns about global warning.

Cullen is there representing what he calls “the true view of the majority of Canadians on climate change.” Which will no doubt be a tad confusing for the conference participants as Canada’s Environment Minister, Rona Ambrose is offering up something a little different than the Cullen plans for consideration.

The Conservative’s agenda on climate change has become a bit of a cause celebre with the participants of the UN conference, which seems to be disappointed with Canada’s decisions to work on climate change issues outside of the Kyoto Protocol.

The topic has been high on the Parliamentary agenda for the last couple of weeks and has followed the Minister off to Africa, where she has found that some of her parties and our governments thoughts are not being warmly received (if you’ll pardon the pun).

Cullen is there to offer up the Rona alternative we guess, taking meetings with those that think that the Conservatives are on the wrong side of the debate. They’ll be trying to find out if Cullen has any impact on changing minds in the Environment Ministry and short of that, they’ll be asking him how long the current crew will be in office and how long before someone else might take over, someone with an agenda closer to the conferences goals and ambitions.

The Daily News had a front page story outlining Cullen’s agenda while in Kenya and his plans to change things in Ottawa upon his return.

CULLEN TO TURN UP HEAT OVER CLIMATE CHANGE
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Page One

Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen is in Nairobi, Kenya, this week representing what he says is the true view of the majority of Canadians on climate change. Cullen will be among 6,000 participants at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with world-wide concerns around global warning.

“I attended the last UN meetings in Germany and Canada was roundly embarrassed… the world’s community was very shocked,” said the MP about the Conservative government’s announcement that they would not meet the targets agreed upon in the Kyoto Protocol. “I’ll be pushing for Canada to do its part on the world stage to commit to meaningful pollution reduction immediately – this is an economic and socially necessity.”

Citing a recent poll on the Clean Air Act, Cullen notes 70 per cent of Canadians don’t think the Canadian government is doing enough to tackle green issues. That view is shared by the international community, he said.

“I engage with other countries when I go there because they’ve tried to engage through the minister and the government and they’ve been very unsuccessful,” said Cullen.

“Understanding our Parliamentary system, they know they can effect change in Canada by going through me and other opposition parties.”

“It’s also to recommit to the world that the position the conservatives are taking on climate change is actually a minority position, that the majority of Canadians do not believe that – it’s surprising to me how much the world is looking for that and needs to hear that coming from us.”

While Environment Minister Rona Ambrose will be there representing the country’s position that Kyoto targets are unattainable, the opposition parties have been successful in returning the Clean Air Act to the committee stage where a number of potential amendments that would steer the government back toward Kyoto have been proposed. If successful, the opposition would force the government to promise to meet the Kyoto accord targets, promote more stringent guidelines after Kyoto expires in 2012 and restore $1.5 million in funding for carbon-emission credits.

“The NDP’s role in bringing this so-called act to a legislative committee before second reading was a huge win in helping to make Parliament work for Canadians,” said Cullen.

“Now we have a chance to completely gut this mockery of a bill and remake it into an important piece of environmental legislation.”