Canada supports legally binding CO2 targets
The Canadian government "supports the establishment of legally binding medium term targets for post-2000 greenhouse gas reductions," Prime Minister Jean Chretien told the special session of the United Nations General Assembly, known as the "Earth Summit+5," in late June. Chretien acknowledged that Canada, like most other industrialised countries, will fail to meet its target to stabilise greenhouse gas (CHG) emissions at 1990 levels by 2000. Instead, Canada's output is expected to be at least 8% above 1990 levels. The country's CHG reduction effort is based on a voluntary programme run by the federal government which is favoured by most large GHG emitters, but condemned by Canadian environmentalists. Prior to the June federal election, in which Chretien was re-elected, the David Suzuki Foundation took out full page newspaper advertisements to persuade Canadians that the petroleum industry is influencing political leaders to ignore the greenhouse gas stabilisation goal.
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