Deal or no deal - Canada should be addressing climate change

There are plenty of rumours about the climate change talks here in Copenhagen. Some suggest the talks are moving, some suggest the talks are stalled. The issues are complex and reaching a deal is certainly challenging. What kind of cap will apply to developing nations? What kind of financial support will those nations get from the developed nations to adapt? How will compliance be verified?

Yes these are challenging issues and today I don't know if there will be an agreement in this round of talks or not. But as I contemplate the various rumours I hear, I am bothered by another question. Why has our federal government not shown more leadership on this issue already - before these talks even got started. Not all climate change action requires international consensus.

Ontario has its Green Energy Act providing a feed in tariff for wind and solar, and it included a local procurement provision to help create jobs. Nova Scotia has put forth an ambitious plan to reduce green house gases and is investing in tidal power. Quebec has acted, and so has Manitoba. Some great things have happened at the municipal level as well.

So why has Canada's federal government failed to act? You don't need a deal here in Copenhagen in order to assist municipalities in a dramatic expansion of public transit. You don't need an international cap and trade system in order to provide significant improvements to the electrical grid, therefore making it easier to bring more renewable energy on stream.

Don't get me wrong - we all need an international agreement that addresses climate change and there is no time like the present. I came here with the same hope that all the other NGO observers have. But as we hear rumours about challenging negotiations, as we count all the "fossil awards" that Canada is getting from one NGO because it is not showing leadership on climate change, and as we consider what some Canadian provinces and municipalities have done - I just can't help but wonder why it is that our federal government did not do more before it even got here.