Harper accused of turning Canada into ‘North Korea of environmental law’ after UN drought treaty withdrawal

Green Party leader Elizabeth May says the Harper government’s latest treaty pullout is turning Canada into the “North Korea of environmental law” as the opposition angrily denounced the move to withdraw from a UN convention that fights droughts in Africa and around the globe.

“So upset Harper pulled us out of another global [environment] treaty. He’s making us a rogue nation. The North Korea of environmental law,” May tweeted Thursday.

Heritage Minister James Moore called May’s tweet “classy.”

Canada quietly became the first and only country to drop out of the UN convention on drought prevention, which actually caught officials at the world body by surprise when it was contacted by The Canadian Press for a story on the matter.

The federal cabinet ordered the withdrawal last week on the recommendation of Foreign Minister John Baird, but provided little reasoning initially.

However, the government later clarified after the story broke that they left the convention because it is too bureaucratic. Harper said less than 20% of the the $350,000 Canada contributes goes to programming.

Baird called the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, in those Countries Experiencing Severe Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, a “talkfest.”

Ottawa ratified the agreement in 1995 under the Chretien Liberals. The convention includes 194 countries and the European Union, which is the entire UN.

The NDP also criticized the move, saying Canada was turning its back on Africa.

NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar said the decision “shows … that the government is clearly outside of what is international norms here. We’re increasing our isolation by doing this.”

In 2012, Canada became the first country to officially withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol. The Harper government has also been accused on muzzling scientists and cutting funding to environmental programs.

Since taking power the Harper government has repeatedly publicly criticized UN institutions, particularly the inaction of the Security Council.

In 2010, the Conservatives were given an embarrassing defeat when Canada lost a vote to Portugal to join the Security Council. It was the first time in 50 years that Canada lost campaign for a seat there.

The problem of encroaching deserts has worsened due to renewed droughts in Africa’s Sahel belt and in East Africa over the past several years.

The convention in Bonn next month was “to carry out the first ever comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of desertification, land degradation and drought,” says a notice from the United Nations Environment Program.

“Also, for the very first time, governments will provide concrete data on the status of poverty and of land cover in the areas affected by desertification in their countries.”

Original Article
Source: nationalpost.com
Author: Josh Visser