Canadian Prime Minister’s Spectacular Hypocrisy

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Contacts:    

Myron Ebell, 202.320.6685 (Montreal)

Marlo Lewis, 202.669.6693 (Montreal)

Richard Morrison, 202.441.9652 (Montreal)

Jody Clarke, 202.331.2252 (Washington, D.C.)

Montréal, Quebec, December 8, 2005—Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin yesterday called on the United States to heed the “global conscience” and embrace mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Martin’s comments to the United Nations climate conference in Montréal omitted any comment on Canada’s own record of steeply increasing emissions.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />

“While Prime Minister Martin will no doubt be praised for bashing the United States and the Bush administration, no one should be fooled by his spectacular hypocrisy. Since 1990, Canadian greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 24% compared to 13% in the United States,” said Myron Ebell, Director of Global Warming & International Environmental Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

“Moreover, Canada is the largest foreign supplier of oil and natural gas to the United States.  If Prime Minister Martin were sincere about reducing global emissions, consistency suggests that he should favor banning oil and gas exports to the U. S. I should add that CEI opposes putting the world on an energy rationing diet and therefore welcomes Canada’s contribution to America’s growing economy,” Ebell concluded.

“If even a wealthy nation like Canada cannot afford to reduce its emissions, how can a world where almost two billion people lack access to electricity do so?” said CEI Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis. “If there is a ‘global conscience,’ it has already been expressed by the 155 nations which have rejected mandatory energy poverty for their people.”