Based on news reports of the Harper government’s intention to leave the Kyoto Protocol, Maude Barlow and Andrea Harden-Donahue of the Council of Canadians have responded as follows:

“This would reveal just how adverse the Harper government is to addressing climate change. If this is true, Harper should stay home from these critical climate talks,” says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson, Council of Canadians. “This announcement, on the first day of the UN climate talks, is a betrayal to the goal of an effective international deal when many countries have been clear Kyoto is vital to forward movement.”

“The Harper government says this is about getting a UN climate deal that puts all countries under one banner. It’s not. This is about getting a deal with voluntary emission reduction targets and other loopholes that allow business as usual in Canada — more emissions,” adds Andrea Harden-Donahue, Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner. “This government has demonstrated a serial disregard to addressing climate change, allowing vital programs to expire, helping pave the path for a tripling of tar sands emissions and actually lobbying against other countries’ climate policies.”