In 25 years in politics, Charest says, he's never seen a federal government rely so heavily on the White House before taking a position on an issue, with Ottawa now saying it will model its climate policy on Washington's. Charest says the Harper government has displayed hostility toward environmentalists. Charest cited an on-camera argument between Harper press secretary Dimitri Soudas and Canadian environmentalist Steven Guilbeault.Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario are far ahead of the federal government on this issue. Environmental issues are a shared responsibility of the provinces and the federal government. The provinces named above, along with Manitoba, are members of the Western Climate Initiative, a collaboration if states and provinces working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and grow a clean energy economy.
That spat featured Soudas accusing Guilbeault, with cameras rolling next to them, of being behind a spoof designed to embarrass the Canadian government. That accusation enraged Guilbeault, and American pranksters later claimed responsibility for the stunt.
"You saw it like I did," Charest told TVA. "His press secretary attacking an environmentalist — on the basis of false information."
http://www.westernclimateinitiative.org/ Perhaps environmental activists should concentrate their consciousness raising and lobbying in the above provinces: their efforts would ensure that ambitious targets like Quebec's are actually met.
