Posted on 09/19/2002 6:18:08 PM PDT by Clive
Calgary - An angry Ralph Klein lashed out at Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on Thursday, rejecting Mr. Chrétien's assurances to oilpatch executives that the Kyoto climate accord won't hurt Alberta's economy.
A day after the Prime Minister tried to allay fears in the Canada's energy capital, Mr. Klein called Mr. Chrétien's plan to have Parliament ratify Kyoto before the end of the year "the goofiest, most devastating thing ever contemplated by a Canadian government."
The Alberta Premier's comments came as developers of a $3.5-billion oilsands project announced major cuts, saying potential costs of reducing carbon emissions may kill the plant's economic viablity.
TrueNorth Energy LP slashed Thursday its spending on the proposed new plant in northern Alberta, and warned that ratification of the Kyoto accord could kill the project.
While there has been much rhetoric about the potential costs to Canada of signing the international emissions-control accord, this is the first large project to be explicitly endangered.
Wednesday night, Mr. Chrétien told energy leaders he would not allow Kyoto to put the northern Alberta oilsands at risk. He also said provinces and industry leaders will be consulted before a plan is put before Parliament.
Mr. Klein scoffed at the comments, noting Ottawa's lack of details and failure to seek input before announcing to the world Canada would sign on to the international pact.
"Consulted? There's a difference between consulting and listening," said the Premier.
"If [Mr. Chrétien] would back off and say tomorrow, 'I will not sign the Kyoto protocol ... until after the provinces have been consulted and after their concerns have been satisfied,' that would be heartening news indeed."
Mr. Klein says other provinces - including British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland - support Alberta's contention that a detailed plan is necessary before any agreement can be forged.
Mr. Klein vowed that Alberta will push forward on a $1.5-million anti-Kyoto campaign warning that up to 450,000 Canadians could lose jobs while taxes soar if the plan is adopted.
"You have my assurances - I will not roll over."
Ontario Premier Ernie Eves said Mr. Klein has valid concerns.
"All premiers would like to see what the game plan is before we sign onto something that may affect our economies dramatically," Mr. Eves said at a Tory caucus retreat in Sarnia, Ont.
"We assume the Prime Minister must have a game plan to make sure [major job losses] isn't going to happen or he wouldn't be going forward with the Kyoto agreement."
Manitoba Premier Gary Doer has suggested Alberta and special interest groups are playing the role of Goliath in this battle because they have the money to advertise against the accord.
"The people of Canada are David because they're not going to have millions of dollars to advertise and scare people," Mr. Doer, who supports Kyoto, said Thursday.
"I don't think special interest groups should determine the decision on Kyoto."
But a fuming Mr. Klein said Manitoba isn't supporting the protocol out of its environmental concerns. He said Mr. Doer sees the potential of his province reaping future economic benefits of hydro-electricity even though it will result in the loss of huge tracts of forested land.
"Hydro is a clean energy and under Kyoto's definition it benefits, but it is not a prerequisite for us to sell hydro," said Mr. Doer. Manitoba recently signed a $1.7-billion deal to export hydro power to the United States.
Mr. Chrétien also said consumers will have to share with industry the cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. That was slammed by the federal environment critic Bob Mills, an Alliance member of Parliament, who notes that "every Canadian will feel the brunt of living up to Kyoto" through higher costs for energy and transportation.
Mr. Mills said many Canadians would be prepared to endure some pain if it would help the environment, but there is no guarantee signing adopting Kyoto will result in cleaner air. He said Ottawa should be making major investments developing in alternate fuels such as hydrogen cells and conservation programs.
Saskatchewan's Resources Minister wasn't impressed with Mr. Chrétien's Kyoto message, either.
"We need to know how they're going to reach what numbers they're going to reach," said Eldon Lautermilch, noting he cannot determine what impact the agreement may have on the province's fragile agriculture industry.
"You've got to have a description and an analysis of the economic modelling. How [did] you reach your assumptions? We don't know any of that."
You are absolutely correct!
The South -- several times -- came quite close to winning the Civil War. Jubal Early, for instance, was once within minutes of capturing Washington D.C. after leading a lightning calvary expedition up the Shenandoah Valley.
Lincoln also had to go through about seven commanding generals before he placed those most competent for war -- Sherman and Grant -- in charge.
You don't seem to realize how juvenile your writing shows you to be.
Meanwhile, you might like to provide your economics guru with the following quote.
When goods cross borders, armies do not.
I don't know that quote's source; it came to me from a U.S. Army airborne infantry combat commander that rose from enlisted ranks (without a college degree) to Battalion level -- high level combat -- command in Vietnam.
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