The environmental ball is back in Stephen Harper’s court:
Bill C-30, Canada’s clean air act, introduced by the governing Conservatives in October, is due to be submitted to the House of Commons Friday…Opposition members, who form a majority on the committee, have completely revamped the bill so that it barely resembles its original form. It now contains short-term, mid-term and long- term targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It includes a commitment to a system of international emissions carbon trading. And it provides for what is being called a green investment bank where companies that fail to meet targets pay penalties instead. The opposition introduced more than 50 amendments to the bill, while the Conservatives did not introduce a single amendment.
Harper is going to have to decide whether to accept the will of Parliament (all 3 opposition parties offered amendments to Bill C-30), or whether he’s really going to declare this amended bill a motion of non-confidence. Remember, he sent this bill to be rewrote last fall by this committee, and at the time everyone was assured the government wouldn’t have to fall over this bill. Let’s see if he decides its politically expedient to declare it so now. As I’ve repeatedly said, I think its foolish for the Tories to go to an election and fight it out over whether we want to try to meet Kyoto or not.
Even with their fondest desires to go to an election, I can’t see them trying to pull the plug on an environmental bill. They seem to have done a good job of avoiding talk of the environment the past few months, so why they would want to bring that back to the fore-front is insane.