Canada gets its way: Commonwealth climate deal drops binding targets

[Harper_is_Bush]

Source: CP

MUNYONYO, Uganda - Canada appears to have got its way at Commonwealth talks on climate change.

The 53-member organization has produced an agreement stripped of any reference to binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada and Australia had been the lone holdouts against an earlier resolution that would have included such targets - and the Australian government has just been defeated in an election.

The earlier resolution would have committed developed countries to binding targets but not developing countries. Canada argued that the deal was unfair because it excluded India, a Commonwealth member and one of the world's biggest polluters.

Read more: http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jjAEhSzbZc2JeXJ6SIaMuZnASA1Q

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It's the same old Bush attitude of "you also" on the one hand, and then "you first" on the other. I wasn't kidding when I picked my forum name here, Stephen Harper really is a George Bush clone.

This agreement actually mentions "aspirational" goals, something you might recognize as a John Howard/George Bush favorite.

I'm more angry than embarrassed. I hope this display finally wakes up Canadians.

[LakeSamish706]

1. "Stephen Harper really is a George Bush clone" And this begs...

the question as to why the Liberals would have elected a Stephan Dion as there leader... He is so not electable IMO...

[Harper_is_Bush]

2. Why is Dion not electable? n/t

[LakeSamish706]

3. Because he's a freaking Geek... and I have heard from many that...

if they had to vote for Dion, they would be voting Conservative...

[Clintonista2]

4. Apparently Dion is "scary smart"

Look, Harper has name recognition, and that's about it. People who would vote conservative just because they think Dion is a "geek" probably wouldn't be voting Liberal either way. Come election time, we're gonna see what an underestimated Liberal party can do.

[Harper_is_Bush]

6. Ah, he's a geek. Ok, I see you've given it much thought and crafted

and intelligent opinion.

:sarcasm:

And maybe you've been talking to NDP'ers. All they do is attack Liberals, thus allowing the hard rightwingers to form government (as happened in 2006). My advice is to discount what you hear from them and investigate for yourself.

[jeff30997]

12. Hello fellow Canuckistanian.

Personally I don' think that Dion is a geek...He's simply an asshole.But he'll get my vote if it means getting rid of Harpo the fascist clown.

[Harper_is_Bush]

18. Greetings. Why do you think he's an "asshole"?

Maybe you know more about him than me....

[jeff30997]

22. In fact I do.

My uncle went to school with him at Université Laval at the end of the 70's and one of my cousins had him as a teacher at Université de Montréal about 20 years ago.They both agree on the fact that he was a pretentious asshole.For what I've seen so far he's the same good old Stephane.:puke:

[Harper_is_Bush]

26. He doesn't strike me that way at all. n/t

[tuvor]

9. "I have heard from many..."? Is that a variation of Fox's "Some say..."?

Some are wondering.

[LakeSamish706]

10. Actually its a number of my own family members and friends... Just stating...

the facts people... If they rattle some of you, so sorry about that... But I guess we will see come election time.

[tuvor]

11. Thanks for your concern, but this doesn't "rattle" me at all.

The use of "I have heard from many" just struck me as something the folks at Fox would surely be proud of, that's all.

[Alexander]

19. Bill Clinton was reportedly one of the smartest US presidents.

I'll believe a "geek" is "unelectable" when I see the evidence myself.

Would you vote for Dion?

[Robbien]

5. I wonder if the Commonwealth wasn't just relying on Harper and Howard

to counter the climate deal. The other Commonwealth countries are as much in the pockets of the industrial capitalists as the US is. They put up a climate deal with emission limits expecting to back down when Harper and Howard objects.

Why else would the Commonwealth back down so quickly?

[CHIMO]

16. It's Not

A democratic vote where the majority rules. There has to be consensus.

Canada gets its way on climate change

The Commonwealth operates by consensus which means that all 53 leaders had to sign up to it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071124.wclimate24/BNStory/International/home

Some others might have been relying on Canada and Australia to block the target. Who knows.

But with a new government in Australia and India taking over the leadership of the Commonwealth next year it will be back. This will put Canada in the back seat in the Commonwealth. They will take heat on this.

[Lautremont]

7. Embarrassing.

[Hand]

8. One small correction...

Steve Harper got his way. Canada got shamed. My apologies to the Commonwealth (and everyone else) for our fascist asshat prime minister. :grr:

[AlertLurker]

13. Truly ashamed. I hate SHarpster!

Jack Layton for PM!!!

[LakeSamish706]

14. "Not" But another minority Govt. would suit me just fine. n/t

[fascisthunter]

15. "conservatives"... who needs em? (nt)

[Andy Canuck]

17. I am really fucking sorry (how Canadian of me!)

Harper is an Albertan, bought, sold and paid for by oil money. On top of that he is a glorious fundamentalist. The Earth is dying and he is worried about profits. What a fucker.

[Herman74]

20. Most Canadians Voted Against Harper and the Conservatives, who...

got like 40 percent of the vote. It's just that the liberal parties divided up the remaining 60 percent, with none getting anywhere near 40 percent, and therefore Harper is P.M. Is there a lesson to be learned here?

United we stand, divided we fall...

[CHIMO]

21. Votes

The party got 36% of the votes and 40% of the seats.

http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/candidatesridings/

Lesson. Generate another party to the right.

[Harper_is_Bush]

27. or unite the left. n/t

[TrogL]

28. The right used to be split

We had the moderate Conservative party which splintered off the right-wing Reform/Alliance/whateveritscalledthisweek party. As support for the Conservative party weakened, they re-merged with the Freepers at the helm.

[HuffleClaw]

23. harper, rat-bastard that he is, knows he's gonna lose the coming election

and is determined to do as much damage as possible prior to his defeat. he's the worst thing to happen to canadian politics since mulroney. he needs to toss the corporate financiers of the conservatives a bone so they'll pony up with funds to buy lots of tv ads.

[JBoy]

25. Harper's worse than Mulroney.

Mulroney wanted to be Reagan's buddy. Harper wants to be Bush's buddy.

[rjones2818]

24. Stephen Harper makes this friend of Canada cry!

:cry:

[RedSock]

29. harper is to the left of hillary clinton

if anyone thinks steven harper is a bush clone, they know very little about each man.

on many issues, harper is to the left of hillary clinton.

he is still a reactionary asshole who should be voted out of office yesterday, but he is not a canadian bush.

http://idealisticpragmatist.blogspot.com/2006/11/stephen-harper-and-hillary-clinton.html

[Harper_is_Bush]

30. That is a crazy comment. I have to assume you know very little about Steven Harper. n/t