OTTAWA - The Kyoto Protocol would wipe out 450,000 manufacturing jobs in Canada, cost the economy up to $40-billion and force a radical lifestyle change on people, according to a report by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.
David Anderson, the Environment Minister, acknowledged yesterday the government has still to forecast the economic impact of the treaty.
The release of the 20-page report -- Pain Without Gain: Canada and the Kyoto Protocol -- follows Jean Chrétien's affirmation yesterday of his government's intention to ratify the international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Prime Minister, attacked in the Commons by the Canadian Alliance, which opposes the Kyoto agreement, responded that "climate change is a very, very serious problem around the globe.
"We would like to sign the Kyoto agreement," Mr. Chrétien said. "It is the position of the government."
The CME study says passage of the treaty would mean Canadians would have to drive less, buy smaller cars, use public transit more, re-insulate their homes and face energy price increases of up to 100% in the case of electricity.
Opposition critics charged Mr. Chrétien was leading the country blindly into a deal whose economic impact is unknown.
Mr. Anderson conceded he will not have figures estimating the cost to Canada and the job losses across all industries until April, two months before the government's self-imposed ratification target of June, when Mr. Chrétien is to be host of the G8 summit of industrial country leaders at Kananaskis, Alta.
"It would be premature to engage in a debate on numbers at this time," Mr. Anderson said.
The CME said the climate deal will lead to plant closures.
Canadians would be forced to change their driving habits, upgrade furnaces and buy energy efficient appliances, the report says. Moreover, Canadians can expect to see all forms of energy increase in price -- electricity by 100%, natural gas by 60% and gasoline by 80%.
"Canada will not be able to achieve its Kyoto target without damaging our economic health and destroying jobs," said Jay Myers, CME chief economist.
The job losses in the study are confined to the manufacturing sector and would be much larger for the whole economy, the CME study said.
CME officials said their report was based on government supplied figures that were published by the federal government at the beginning of this month.
Ralph Klein, the Alberta Premier, said he was concerned about the lack of solid information concerning the cost of Kyoto and the lack of clarity from Ottawa on how best to implement it.
"I'm saying before we sign onto something, let's find out what we're signing onto," he said. "There's absolutely no information available on environmental credits. When I talk to the Prime Minister about environmental credits, he keeps talking about sinkholes, you know, 'We'll create sinkholes. We'll plant trees.'
"Well, Jesus, you know, [maybe] we'll quit breathing. If everybody quit breathing can you imagine how much carbon dioxide we could avoid sending into the atmosphere?
"The only thing we know for sure is there is some evidence to indicate that CO2 in particular, and perhaps other gases, contributes to the greenhouse phenomenon or global warming. And that industry in this province and across the country have made their best efforts to reduce those emissions."
A study, released last week by Alberta, pegs the costs of the Kyoto agreement at $25- to $40-billion for the Canadian economy
The federal government has said implementing Kyoto will mean the loss of potential economic growth of about $500-million annually.
Business and the provinces believe Kyoto will impose additional costs on Canadian companies, making them uncompetitive with the United States and Mexico which have rejected the agreement.
The U.S. has proposed a less stringent approach to climate change using tax incentives and investment to spur a technological solution to greenhouse gas emissions.
The CME said Canada must engage the United States and Mexico to work out a market-based solution to reducing greenhouse gases across North America.
The Liberal government has promised consultations with the provinces, business and Canadians on the deal and said the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will not impose an unfair burden on any province or region.
The international agreement calls on Canada to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, mostly caused by burning fossil fuels such as oil and gas, to 6% below levels produced in 1990. Greenhouse gases are believed to be a cause of the gradual increase in the temperature of the Earth that produces severe climate changes.
"Canadians need and deserve a better understanding of how the Kyoto Protocol would work, how Canada plans to meet its Kyoto target, and how those actions would affect our economy and our lifestyles, before consideration is given to the question of whether or not we should ratify the agreement," the CME study said.
Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance deputy leader and Alberta MP, called Kyoto a "death warrant" for the fossil-fuel-dependent Alberta economy.
"And there's no evidence that it'll do anything to reduce global warming," Mr. Jaffer said. "How can this government rush blindly into a deal that will cause nothing but economic pain and no environmental gain."
Mr. Chrétien said dealing with climate change is a key responsibility of government.
"I think it is very, very important that all countries of the world be pre-occupied with the question of climate change. It is a problem that will cause problems, not today, but in the generations to come and when you are a good government you think about the future and I think it is possible in Canada to remain competitive and to make sure our air is not polluted," Mr. Chrétien said.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NoNonsense English offers this material non-commercially for research and educational purposes. I believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, i.e. the media service or newspaper which first published the article online and which is indicated at the top of the article unless otherwise specified.