Canadian Prime Minister justin trudeau issued a statement Thursday following President Trump's decision to back out of the Paris agreement, a widely-praised global pact to combat climate change. He also spoke with Trump following the withdrawal.
While Trudeau had previously vowed to try and work with the Trump administration by finding common ground, it seems that compromise is further away than ever.
Harsh words
In his statement, Trudeau had this to say on Trump's decision: “We are deeply disappointed that the United States federal government has decided to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
Canada is unwavering in our commitment to fight climate change and support clean economic growth. Canadians know we need to take decisive and collective action to tackle the many harsh realities of our changing climate."
Canada's Environment Minister Catherine McKenna echoed the Prime Minister's "deeply disappoint[ed]" sentiment.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne also spoke out at an event in Barrie Thursday: “It’s really appalling to me... The reality is the whole world needs to be involved in fighting climate change.” Wynne was in Paris for the final negotiations of the Agreement last December.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a group representing both Canadian and American mayors and their 17 million constituents issued similar criticism Friday, calling the decision "short-sighted" and "ill-advised."
Canada pushes on
With the United States federal government now out of the picture, Canadian leaders have doubled down on their own initiatives to curtail the effects of climate change.
Trudeau added in his statement that though the decision was "disheartening," He would remain firm in his resolution to "transition to clean growth economies." He also promised to continue the fight with leaders at the provincial and state level.
“The role of provinces and states and municipalities is even more important than it was a couple of days ago,” Premier Wynne agreed in her statement.
She also promised to visit Washington D.C. for a meeting with officials to continue pressing the issue and advocating for solutions.
Ontario, partnering with California and Quebec, launched a cap-and-trade program earlier this year, with the goal of limiting greenhouse gas emissions by capping the amount of pollution that certain industries can emit.
The program is expected to reap a minimum revenue of $5.9 billion, which will go toward clean energy solutions.
Economic effects
Despite the disastrous consequences that will inevitably follow Trump's rejection of the Paris Agreement, things might be looking better for Canadians as a result.
"The clean-growth economy is where the world is going, and Canada is going to be part of it," Canadian Environment Minister McKenna said on Parliament Hill Thursday. She noted that, in pulling out of the Agreement, Trump cost the U.S. a "golden opportunity" to benefit from the inevitable growth of the clean-tech industry.
With the looming importance that the threat of climate change poses, it is without a doubt that new initiatives and industries will arise, bringing jobs with them.
As Environment Minister Catherine McKenna stated, "It's unfortunate that the U.S. administration says they're pulling out of the Paris agreement, but you can't stop progress."
