OTTAWA (AFP) — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper came under fire for his record on fighting global warming in a political debate televised Wednesday ahead of elections on October 14.
Former environmental activist and Liberal leader Stephane Dion accused Harper of stalling on climate change since coming to power in January 2006 and tarnishing Canada's reputation in this area.
"We were heroes against climate change" under the Liberal's steerage, Dion said.
Canada had agreed under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to reduce CO2 emissions to 6.0 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, but under a new plan unveiled last year emissions would be cut 20 percent based on 2006 levels by 2020.
The plan by Harper's Conseratives is "fraud," said Green Party leader Elizabeth May.
"Give me a break, that's ridiculous, I'm sorry, that's a joke," she said of Harper's environmental plan.
"We're all concerned about the future of the planet," Harper said. "The problem here is we can't reduce greenhouse emissions of the past," he said, accusing the previous Liberal administration of allowing CO2 emissions to rise 35 percent over 1990 levels.
The Conservatives' plan is "aggressive," Harper insisted, while his rivals' proposals to reduce emissions by up to 50 percent in the next five years "are not realistic."
May said Harper's targets were "dangerous. Not in my opinion, in the opinion of recognized scientists who have been sounding the alarm."
Both the Liberals and Green Party are touting the largest tax shift in recent Canadian history as part of their election pledges. They propose to massively cut income and corporate taxes to offset a new pollution tax.
The Liberals also propose cutting Canada's CO2 emissions by at least 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. The Greens aim for a bigger reduction.
Harper's campaign has proposed a cut in diesel taxes, saying the Liberal and Green Party election planks are bad for Canada's economy and national unity.
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