Rona Ambrose Stumbling & Bumbling As Harper's Environment Minster - Globe & Mail

[hatrack]

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Ms. Ambrose was scorned by MPs for insisting repeatedly that Canada had no unpaid debts to the international Kyoto system, even though MPs said United Nations documents show that -- at $1.5-million -- Canada owes more than any other country. Eventually Ms. Ambrose's assistant deputy minister, David McGovern, came to the table and confirmed that in fact the year-old debt has not been paid. "I'm increasingly concerned in terms of the briefings you're getting on some of the critical issues," NDP MP Nathan Cullen told the minister after she was corrected.

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She led a media blitz in late September and early October promising that her Clean Air Act would be full of tough measures. But some of them, such as replacing voluntary rules with mandatory ones and applying them to every company and plant in the country, were largely overshadowed by the bill's targets. Environmentalists gave the legislation a very cool reception, mainly because the timeline for actually reducing greenhouse gases was put off until as late as 2025. Less stringent "intensity based" targets would be put in place until then.

But even as her overall plan was rejected, details keep landing her in hot water. During a fiery appearance before the Commons environment committee in October, she attacked the Liberals for spending $100-million on overseas Kyoto projects, listing project after project. But it became clear afterward that Ms. Ambrose was mistaken and no money had actually been spent on such credits. Ms. Ambrose also used the October committee hearing to criticize the Clean Development Mechanism, a key method for countries to meet their greenhouse gas reduction targets under the international Kyoto Protocol. Under the CDM, countries can receive Kyoto credits by funding projects in developing countries. Those exchanges are often criticized because they have no effect on greenhouse gases.

Over the past few weeks, Ms. Ambrose's days in Question Period have been less frequent and she twice cancelled appearances before parliamentary committees.

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061212.wxrona12/BNStory/National/home

[GliderGuider]

1. She's been an unmitigated disaster.

While I don't vote Liberal, I was elated when the Liberal Party recently elected Stephan Dion as their leader. When he becomes Prime Minister (as he will within one or at most two elections) Canada will finally have a leader who is committed to environmental issues. He even understands Peak Oil, having read Deffeyes, Kunstler and Simmons.

I hope Rona Ambrose is shown the door long before then, though. She is humiliating Canada on the world stage.