Rival of Canada's Chretien calls for Kyoto caution
Date: 20-Nov-02
Country: CANADA
Author: Randall Palmer
Chretien's government, which has pledged a vote on ratification in Parliament by the end of the year, rejected the request out of hand. It even declared it would "whip" members of Chretien's Liberal Party - which includes Martin - into voting for ratification or facing unspecified consequences.
Divisions between the Martin, the former finance minister, and Chretien camps have added to the already complicated debate within Canada over Kyoto. Martin has had to walk a fine line of not alienating his power bases while also not looking like he has no position.
"I think Mr. Martin himself is to some degree playing both sides of the issue," said Stephen Harper, leader of the official opposition Canadian Alliance.
The Alliance opposes Kyoto and also seizes any opportunity to drive a wedge between Martin and Chretien in the hope of eroding the Liberals' commanding lead in the polls.
Martin, who won respect in world markets for wrestling Canada's huge budget deficits to the ground in the 1990s, told reporters: "I'm inclined to vote for ratification (of Kyoto)."
But he alluded to opposition from a growing number of provinces and from corporations. They worry about the economic cost and whether the United States will gain a competitive advantage since it has rejected ratification of Kyoto.
"It would certainly be preferable if we had a consensus, a national consensus of the provinces and the Canadian government and all interested parties," he said.
"And if it's impossible to get the consensus - or at least to make the effort - it would be preferable to wait (on the vote)."
Martin is the front-runner to replace Chretien, who has announced he will step down as prime minister in February 2004. Martin's views figure in the debate on whether Chretien will be able to push through his agenda - and whether Chretien might be pushed out of office earlier than planned.
Environment Minister David Anderson, the government's point man on Kyoto, said: "I do not intend to ask for a delay in the vote...I don't think that delay will achieve any more consensus than we have now."
The government whip in the House of Commons, Marlene Catterall, said the vote would be whipped because Kyoto constituted a matter of government policy.
Martin also indirectly challenged Chretien to meet the provincial premiers before a vote, something the prime minister has been reluctant to do unless it would be guaranteed to be a success.
Asked about whether such a meeting should precede a vote in Parliament, Martin said: "I think that every effort should be made to achieve a national consensus and that will involve all of the stakeholders."
Anderson said he was "very comfortable" proceeding with ratification without a meeting with the premiers.
Martin is keen to boost his support in energy-rich Alberta, where the Liberals have only two of 26 seats in the federal parliament, but if he opposes Kyoto he could run afoul of voters in Quebec. That province, a major producer of Kyoto-friendly hydroelectric power, supports Kyoto.
Chretien has sought to sell the Kyoto accord, which requires cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, as necessary to avoid disasters such as last summer's drought which damaged crops across the Prairies.
Alexa McDonough, leader of the left-leaning New Democratic Party, accused Martin of pandering to the Alberta energy industry.
"I find it astounding...(that) Paul Martin who wants to masquerade as the great leader that his party needs would now start saying, 'Wait a minute, maybe we should go into reverse.'" (Additional reporting by Gilbert Le Gras and David Ljunggren).
