Canada Delivers Another Blow to Global Environmental Law

Prime Minister Harper’s administration has once more shocked the community of nations by withdrawing from an environmental treaty. This time it is the 1994 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.  This is only the second time in Canadian history we have withdrawn from a treaty. The first time was the Kyoto Protocol.

“We do not see Harper withdrawing from trade deals. The treaties he views as of no importance are those designed to protect the environment. What message does it send to African nations that in the same week we eliminate CIDA, we withdraw from a treaty to stop the advance of deserts?” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands.

The UN and the nations of the world are losing faith in Canada. Our 2010 failure to get elected to the Security Council was a stark signal of our declining credibility,” said John Streiker, Green Critic for Northern Affairs.

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