Jeffrey Simpson on Dion's Environmental Leadership

More about Stephane Dion on the environment this time a view from Liberal friendly Globe and Mail columnist Jeffrey Simpson

Here are some highlights: Emphasis mine

Mr. Dion can't get away from some of the major, and dumb, ideas in his 2005 Project Green. That plan -- the fourth produced by Liberal governments -- rather vaguely recommended a cap-and-trade emissions scheme for industrial enterprises

Yesterday, Mr. Dion repeated his campaign pledge for Canada to meet its Kyoto commitments. "I call on Mr. Harper to implement a comprehensive plan to honour our Kyoto commitment." This is pure baloney, as Mr. Dion must surely know, since the reason Canada cannot meet that commitment is the dismal record of Liberal governments.

Mr. Ignatieff, in his campaign document, was honest. "Despite efforts by the previous Liberal government to curb emissions growth, Canada cannot now meet the Kyoto target of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions to 6 per cent below 1990 levels between 2008-2012, without spending billions of dollars buying emissions credits from other countries."

That statement was correct then, and remains correct. Liberal MPs (and NDP and Bloc Quebecois MPs) are running around saying the contrary, that Canada can cut 270 to 300 megatonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions by 2008-2012. They are playing outrageous politics with the truth. It is impossible to do what they insist can be done in Canada alone in such a short time, as Mr. Ignatieff said.

In his campaign, Mr. Dion recommitted himself to the "one-tonne challenge" program, whereby individual Canadians would lower their emissions to four tonnes from five. That program had been a failure.

Mr. Dion promised a $2,000 rebate for hybrid cars, not nearly enough with the gap between regular and hybrid-engine cars in the range of $7,000.

Mr. Dion will be furious to imagine someone doesn't believe he has the right answers to climate change. He doesn't. Mr. Ignatieff had better ones.