Canada To Play "Ceremonial" Role At New Climate Talks

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OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's role in UN negotiations on climate change appears to be shrinking in response to the Conservative government's mixed messages about the Kyoto Protocol. Environment Minister Rona Ambrose will officially serve as president of the UN Kyoto talks to take place May 15-26 in Bonn, but her role will be much reduced from that played by former environment minister Stephane Dion at the last round of Kyoto talks in Montreal.

Unlike Dion, who spent a year rallying support for the Montreal climate conference last year and personally led the talks, Ambrose is expected to play an insignificant role in practical terms. "The role of the president of the COP (Conference of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol) is . . . largely ceremonial," said John Hay, spokesman for United Nations Climate Change Secretariat in Geneva.

"The president makes some administrative decisions, but these are process-related and not highly political. In Bonn, Minister Ambrose will open the proceedings and chair a bureau meeting. She is scheduled to leave the same day." Yet Dion's role as president of the Montreal talks in December was far from ceremonial. He travelled the world to build support for his agenda and personally led the talks, salvaging a final all-night session from near-collapse. He was given substantial credit for the outcome - a commitment by all Kyoto signatories to negotiate a second phase of the treaty beyond its original expiry date of 2012, despite U.S. opposition.

Ryan Sparrow, a spokesman for Ambrose, said it was inappropriate to compare the conference in Bonn with that held in Montreal.

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