Business Leaders Urge Members of Parliament and Senators to Give All Canadians a Voice on Kyoto

November 5, 2002

Business leaders today called on the federal government to hold meaningful consultations with Canadians on the best climate change strategy for Canada before making any binding decision on ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.

In an appearance before Members of Parliament and Senators, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) said the government’s rush to ratify has failed to provide Canadians with the information they need to make a knowledgeable decision.

CCCE President and Chief Executive, Thomas d’Aquino, therefore urged Parliamentarians to use their power to give all Canadians a voice in this vital national debate. “We are appealing to each and every Member to exercise your prerogatives fully, to ensure that your constituents understand what is at stake and that sound and responsible alternatives are considered prior to the matter being put to a vote.”

To develop a dynamic and responsible Canadian approach to the critical global issue of climate change, Mr. d’Aquino added that other levels of government also must be fully engaged. “The Premiers and Territorial Leaders already have asked for a true national process to develop the best strategy for Canada and we want to work constructively with them as well as with the federal government over the next few months toward this goal.”

Mr. d’Aquino noted that the Canadian Coalition for Responsible Environmental Solutions, of which CCCE is a member, today tabled its proposal for an ambitious and constructive alternative to the Kyoto Protocol. The Coalition’s proposal for an alternative builds on earlier work by the CCCE and other Coalition members.

Essential elements of the Coalition plan include:

• A broadly-based and inclusive national process that engages Canadians in the climate change debate and galvanizes their support for the policies necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Negotiated agreements between industry sectors and governments that would set emissions performance goals and serve as a catalyst to invest in the technologies that will lead to meaningful and lasting reductions in emissions.
• A longer-term technology strategy that would place Canada at the forefront in the development and adoption of new technologies and lower carbon forms of energy.
• Coordinated actions to address greenhouse gas emissions and urban air pollution in major urban centres, through such means as enhanced urban planning and new government investments in urban and inter-city public transit.
• A leadership role for Canada internationally in promoting a longer-term and truly global solution to the climate challenge that can also meet the needs of developing countries to improve living standards.
  “Canada’s business leadership takes great pride in the fact that Canada is a global leader in the exercise of environmental responsibility. But continuing environmental preeminence must be based on sound public policy and on a strong consensus of an informed citizenry,” said Mr. d’Aquino. “The federal government’s current approach to the Kyoto Protocol is based on neither sound policy nor anything remotely resembling consensus. The challenge is clear: let’s develop a winning strategy together, and let’s make it work for Canada and the world.”

  Formerly known as the Business Council on National Issues, the CCCE is a non-profit, non-partisan organization composed of the chief executives of 150 leading Canadian enterprises. The members of the Council head companies that administer in excess of $2.1 trillion in assets, have annual revenues of more than $500 billion and account for a substantial majority of Canada’s private sector investment, exports and research and development.