Continued obstruction

In advance of Barack Obama's visit, the Cons have now telegraphed their latest plan to put off any action on greenhouse gas emissions:

Canadian officials, speaking on condition they not be named, said the leaders are expected to agree to explore ways for the two countries to co-operate on the environment and energy, but cautioned that there will be no detailed agreement so soon.

One source said the Prime Minister and the President may end up agreeing to send the issues to a pair of working groups and have them report back after six or nine months.

So after three years of claiming to have already taken action - and half a year after the Cons were supposed to have presented emission reduction regulations - Deceivin' Stephen is looking to start again from square one. And there's an added bonus for the denialists in the latest strategy: this time when the Cons fail to deliver on what they've promised, it would delay the U.S.' planned actions as well as our own.

Needless to say, there's no reason for Obama to accept the Cons' excuses and delay tactics. And with the Libs still showing no signs of recognizing the problems with continued Harper government, the best hope for Canadian progress against climate change may be for Obama to make environmental measures a condition of economic cooperation.