Time to push laggards on climate goals: PM

Canada will work with the United States to push laggard nations to adopt more ambitious climate change goals going into the Paris talks to curb greenhouse gas emissions, a signal of Ottawa’s new readiness to act on the environment file, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says.

Trudeau said that a common strategy on climate change would be on the agenda when he meets with U.S. President Barack Obama Thursday in Manila on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.

“We’ll also be talking about our approach to Paris, how it’s important to push strongly on some of the more recalcitrant countries who don’t seem to be as ambitious in their approaches to climate,” he told reporters Tuesday.

Trudeau didn’t single out any nations in particular but suggested that under the previous Conservative government, Canada itself was viewed as an obstacle on the climate change front.

“I know I’ve heard from a number of people that they’re pleased that Canada is taking a more active role in convincing other countries to do more on climate change,” Trudeau said.

Indeed, Trudeau said that Obama’s characterization of Alberta crude as dirty oil was in part spurred by Canadian inaction on the environmental file. Obama made the comment when he rejected the Keystone XL pipeline meant to carry Alberta oilsands crude to U.S. refineries.

“A less aggressive approach on environmental responsibilities in the past led to a ramping up of rhetoric against Canadian oil and against Canadian energy,” Trudeau said.