For months, Canada has been a question mark on the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, half-inclined to follow the cue of its stubborn southern neighbor and ignore the treaty, half-inclined to jump on board with the other industrialized nations of the world. Now, it appears that Prime Minister Jean Chretien is prepared to push forward with ratification — but with a critical caveat, according to a senior Cabinet minister. Chretien wants Canada to be able to count sales of natural gas and hydro-electricity to the U.S. as part of its emissions reduction effort, effectively cutting the nation’s reduction burden by as much as 30 percent. The Cabinet minister acknowledged, however, that Europeans are likely to resist efforts to revise Kyoto this late in the game. Chretien, who generally favors the treaty, has faced heavy resistance from industry.
