McKenna disputes ‘appeasing’ the U.S.
Canada’s environment minister says a recent report claiming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel about leaving the Paris climate agreement out of a planned G20 statement was an “incorrect translation.”
“We’re absolutely committed to climate action and the Paris Agreement,” Catherine McKenna told reporters following the meeting of the G7 environment ministers in Bologna, Italy, on Sunday and Monday.
On Friday, German news magazine Der Spiegel published a story suggesting Trudeau had “switched to appeasement” of the Trump administration during a phone conversation with Merkel on Tuesday.
The prime minister’s office claims the article is incorrect, and plans to ask the publication for a correction.
Trudeau issued a statement after U. S. President Donald Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the international climate agreement earlier this month, saying he was “deeply disappointed” in the decision and that Canada’s commitment to fight climate change is “unwavering.”
But Der Spiegel reported that Trudeau suggested to Merkel that the planned G20 communiqué could be limited to energy issues, without mentioning the Paris Agreement. The 2017 G20 summit will take place in Hamburg, Germany, in early July.
“Trudeau had apparently changed his approach to Trump and seemed concerned about further provoking his powerful neighbour to the south,” the story claims.
An official with the prime minister’s office said Tru- deau made no such suggestion during the conversation, which focused on the two countries’ “shared commitment to combat climate change.”
In Italy over the weekend, McKenna met with U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, and said she “made it clear that the Paris Agreement is not open for renegotiation.”
A communiqué released Monday included a statement that the environment ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom and European commissioners responsible for climate “reaffirm strong commitment to the swift and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.”
In a footnote, the United States explained that it did not join the sections of the communiqué on climate, “reflecting our recent announcement to withdraw and immediately cease implementation of the Paris Agreement.”
Pruitt left the meeting early, flying back to the U. S. on Sunday evening.
“It was very sad to see that the United States was relegated to a footnote on climate action,” McKenna told reporters on Monday.
After Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the climate agreement, Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Paulo Gentiloni signed a joint letter condemning the decision. Canada elected not to sign that letter, with Trudeau and McKenna releasing their own statements instead.
McKenna will visit the Vatican Tuesday to speak with representatives there about “the need to act on climate change,” she said.