Alberta’s Stelmach, Like Kermit, Finds It’s Not Easy Being Green

VANCOUVER – It ain’t easy being green.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams invoked the famous line from Kermit the Frog on Tuesday to describe the dilemma facing his fellow premier Ed Stelmach and other provincial and territorial leaders as they try to find some common ground on the issue of climate change.

"It’s not easy being green and I think Alberta’s finding that out," Williams told reporters at the second day of meetings of the Council of the Federation in Vancouver.

Global warming, blamed largely on greenhouse gas emissions, is at the top of the agenda for the meeting.

While a united front on emissions reductions seems unlikely, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell says he expects agreement on water and forestry initiatives.

Reports are also surfacing from insiders and observers that four provinces – British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec – are negotiating a cap and trade deal that could see emission standards for industry.

A spokesman for a national environmental organization observing the talks says any deal on a cap and trade system would be regarded as a breakthrough.

The four provinces comprise 75 per cent of Canada’s population and emissions regulations for industry could greatly reduce greenhouse gases.

At least one provincial official confirmed the premiers are talking about cap and trade at the closed meetings.

Prior to the meetings, Campbell suggested the four provinces could develop such a system.

"I know that Ontario and Quebec and Manitoba are all looking at developing a cap and trade system, so maybe we can engage them in doing that," Campbell said.

Williams said Newfoundland and Labrador is interested in cap and trade, but he used the words "complex" and "pitfalls."

Williams said Alberta is not interested but most other provinces are.

Campbell said Tuesday that adapting to issues surrounding climate change are on the agenda, and water and forestry are areas where the leaders can find common ground.

"I would hope that we can move ahead and British Columbia will be moving ahead, certainly, with a water initiative with Alberta," he said.

"We hope Saskatchewan and other provinces will join us."

Campbell said the leaders will also agree on "a major initiative, I think, on forestry that will be beneficial to everyone."

He said the provinces and territories are also expected to develop agreement on long-term issues surrounding flood management.

The leaders are discussing methods of adapting to climate change and are expected to deliver a statement Tuesday afternoon.

The Council of the Federation was formed in 2003 by the provinces and territorial leaders to address issues important to Canada.

Campbell indicated Alberta and British Columbia were in agreement on water and forestry policies, but the two provinces have differing approaches to cutting the greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.

Environmental groups have condemned Alberta’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions as too weak.

Stelmach said Alberta plans to cut greenhouse gases by 14 per cent by 2050. He said Canada’s economy would be devastated if Alberta shut down its oil industry to appease environmental groups and other critics.

British Columbia introduced legislation to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent by 2020.

A national wilderness protection organization called on the premiers to set aside at least half of Canada’s public land and water in protected areas.

"If the premiers just focus their adaptation discussions on managing disasters like changing water levels and pine beetle infestations, they’ll miss the boat," the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society said in a news release.

"There’s no time to lose. We need a highly accelerated pace of establishing large-scale protected areas on land and water."

Campbell offered a wry analysis on Tuesday’s somewhat rare snowfall in Vancouver, saying the snow is an example of how strange the weather has become.