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For release: April 21, 2008

Québec becomes latest province to reject federal intensity-based approach

Ottawa - The Climate Action Network Canada-Réseau action climat Canada today congratulated the Government of Québec for its decision to join the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a regional cap-and-trade system initiated by the State of California. Along with Manitoba and British Columbia, Québec becomes the third Canadian province to join the WCI, meaning that 40% of Canada's population will be covered by the proposed cap-and-trade system.

“Canada's provinces are emphatically rejecting Ottawa's go-slow approach to greenhouse gas pollution from heavy industry, which would allow industrial emissions to keep growing,” said Graham Saul, Climate Action Network Canada. “Given the urgency of climate change, provinces recognize that they need a hard cap on industrial emissions. Sadly, they have to look south of the border for leadership on global warming.”

WCI member states and provinces are currently deciding on key details of the proposed system, which include setting emission caps and agreeing on the use of auctioning in the system. As full partners, Québec, British Columbia and Manitoba will be involved in shaping the system. The WCI plans to publish the details of its system design this August.

“Québec has not yet established medium- and long-term provincial emission targets, and the province will need to do that to participate effectively in cap-and-trade systems like the WCI,” said Arthur Sandborn, Greenpeace Canada. “Meanwhile, we can only hope that the federal government is as concerned as it should be that the provinces are bypassing its approach, and that it finally scraps it in favour of one that will actually reduce greenhouse gas pollution in the short term.”

The Government of Quebec has committed to the Kyoto greenhouse gas emissions target of 6% below 1990 levels by 2012.

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