Canada: Federal Environment Plan Fact or Fiction

The National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NREE) has slammed the Canadian federal government's environment plan. NREE says the government's plan is vague and uses questionable accounting methods

The National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NREE) has taken a dim view of the Canadian federal government's environment plan. The NREE has just released a report that states the the government's plan is vague, uses questionable accounting methods and exaggerated greenhouse-gas cuts it would result in. Leaders from business, labour, universities and environmental organizations are members of the organization. The report looked at 22 programs that were part of the government's climate change plan. In each of the 22 programs the NREE found that the government had either overestimated the amount of greenhouse gas emission reductions it would achieve or had insufficient information to reach any conclusion. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has claimed that his government's plan can achieve real and specific greenhouse gas emission cuts. Harper is getting ready to travel to New York next week where he will speak about climate change at a meeting of world leaders. The Federal government is also planing to cut funding to wildlife programs stating that climate change is a priority.