Ontario Premier Warns Harper On Auto Sector Emissions Plan

TORONTO, OTTAWA — Auto makers will be forced to do more to stop global warming by selling cars and trucks that emit fewer greenhouse gases starting in 2010, Conservative cabinet ministers told industry CEOs last night.

Just hours earlier, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty warned Prime Minister Stephen Harper not to hurt the province's auto sector by imposing new emission standards on Canadian vehicles. He also put Ottawa on notice that he will not have Ontario carry the brunt of the federal government's clean-air initiative.

In a meeting with five Conservative cabinet ministers, the auto industry CEOs were told the existing five-year voluntary deal between Ottawa and the auto makers to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions will be respected. But mandatory rules will take effect when it expires in 2010 that would likely include fines for auto makers that fail to meet targets to reduce pollution. However, those targets won't be set right away. Instead, the CEOs will be consulted again on the details, and there was no indication last night that Ottawa was planning to bring in the much tougher reduction targets already set by California and other U.S. states.

EDIT

This is not the first time Mr. McGuinty has pleaded his case to Ottawa by noting the disparity between the economic fortunes of Alberta and Ontario. Last year, he suggested that Alberta be made to share its growing oil revenues with the rest of the country. His comments yesterday irked Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, who is to retire this fall. "Maybe he's just mad because we are promoting coal. Clean-burning coal, that is," he told reporters. He said Alberta is the only province that has legislation restricting the growth rate of greenhouse-gas emissions.

EDIT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061004.wxgreenhouse04/BNStory/National/home