Duceppe says sovereign Quebec would be greener
Last Updated: Sunday, December 4, 2005 | 12:03 AM ET
CBC News
The leader of the federal separatist party made the comment while campaigning in Montreal on Saturday. He joined thousands of protesters – including other politicians such as Green party Leader Jim Harris – at a rally urging stronger action against climate change.
- FROM DEC. 3, 2005: Thousands march in Montreal to get UN summit to adopt Kyoto
The Bloc has been trying to woo voters by making environmentally friendly promises while about 10,000 people are in Montreal for a UN conference on climate change.
But provincial Environment Minister Thomas Mulcair rejected Duceppe's assertion that a sovereign Quebec would be "greener."
"To say that an independent Quebec would somehow no longer be connected atmospherically to its neighbours or otherwise is a bit of a canard."
Nonetheless, Duceppe took a concrete step on Saturday to make the Bloc's campaign greener.
He promised the party would donate $25 to an environmental protection organization for every tonne of greenhouse gases produced by his campaign.
"It will cost us a few thousand dollars, for sure," he said.
Duceppe challenged the other federal party leaders to make the same pledge – but the pledge is likely to cost far less for the Bloc, whose campaign covers just one province, and unlike the other major parties, requires only a few short-haul flights.
So far, the Bloc campaign has produced little in the way of greenhouse-gas emissions: Duceppe got through the first five days of campaigning without leaving the Montreal area.
