Trudeau denies being concerned about ‘provoking’ U.S.

German magazine said PM wanted to strike out mention of Paris accord in statement

OTTAWA— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denies a report in a German magazine that described his concern about “provoking” the United States for withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.

The account in Der Spiegel said German Chancellor Angela Merkel phoned Trudeau last Tuesday, when they discussed the contents of a joint statement at next month’s G20 summit in Hamburg. The draft communiqué asked member countries to sign off on their continued commitment to the global pact to fight climate change, a move that would highlight American isolation on the issue, the report said.

The magazine reported that Trudeau suggested striking out references to the Paris agreement in the statement, and seemed “concerned about further provoking his powerful neighbour to the south.”

Trudeau told the House of Com- mons on Monday that he did not make that suggestion, after NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair pointedly asked him twice to confirm or deny the report.

“No, I did not say that,” Trudeau replied.

“Leadership on climate change matters, not just for the future of our planet, for future generations, it matters for our economy right now. That’s why we’re moving forward in a responsible way,” he said.

Cameron Ahmad, a spokesperson in Trudeau’s office, called the Der Spiegel report “incorrect” and referred to a summary of the phone call that the PMO released last week. It says the leaders “reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, combating climate change, strengthening environmental protection, as well as pursuing clean energy and sustainable development.”

They also spoke about the upcoming G20 summit, the summary said.

Ahmad said he has contacted the magazine and asked for a correction.

“The way (the conversation) is characterized there is not correct,” he said. The German embassy in Ottawa declined to comment on the report.

The decision earlier this month by U.S. President Donald Trump to drop out of the Paris climate pact appears to have opened a policy fissure between the U.S. and some of its long-standing partners, including Canada. Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland argued in a speech to the House of Commons that Canada can no longer rely on the U.S. for global leadership.

That came after Trump met the leaders of other G7 countries for their own summit in Italy. Following that meeting, the other members of the group agreed to reaffirm their support of the Paris deal.

Der Spiegel also published minutes from a private meeting between the G7 leaders at that summit. The report describes how Trudeau, Merkel and others tried to dissuade Trump from abandoning the Paris deal.

Speaking to reporters Monday after a weekend meeting with her own G7 counterparts in Italy, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said Canada remains “deeply disappointed” in the U.S. move to drop out of the accord, and that it was “very sad” to see the Americans reduced “to a footnote on climate actions.”

She dismissed the Der Spiegel report on Trudeau and Merkel’s conversation as “incorrect translation.”

McKenna also said that environment ministers from all G7 members except the U.S. — France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union — inked a statement at the meeting to express their joint commitment to the “swift and effective implementation of the Paris agreement.”

“We’re absolutely committed to climate action and the Paris agreement and we’ve been extremely vocal about this,” McKenna said, adding that she made this position clear in her bilateral discussion with her American counterpart, Scott Pruitt.

She said she told Pruitt the accord is “not open for renegotiation, although we are in the phase of negoti- ating the rules.”

The U.S. has said it is open to renegotiating, arguing that it imposes less stringent emissions standards on China, India and others. “The momentum around the Paris agreement is irreversible,” McKenna said.

The pact involves more than 190 countries pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to prevent the worst-case scenarios of climate change this century. The Trudeau government committed to the same targets set by their Conservative predecessors: Curb emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

To get there, Ottawa plans to phase out coal-fired energy, impose carbon pricing regimes on the provinces and regulate methane emissions.

McKenna also reiterated on Monday that Canada can work with other players in the U.S. to curb emissions and find business opportunities for clean tech and other industries.

“The U.S. is bigger than one administration, and we’re going to be moving forward with the states, cities and businesses in the United States that are committed to serious climate action,” McKenna said.

“The way (the conversation) is characterized there is not correct.” CAMERON AHMAD SPOKESPERSON IN PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE