Kyoto may yet be Karchered

Canada’s environment minister Peter Kent announced Monday that Canada is withdrawing from Kyoto Protocol after the UN conference in Durban, which immediately drew criticism inside and outside the country. What their government is doing could be in violation of domestic law, because the Kyoto Implementation Act was passed by the House of Commons in 2007 and has royal assent. It requires Canada to continue reporting and doing its job, fulfilling its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. It looks as if Stephen Harper thinks he can just withdraw Canada from an international treaty which was ratified by the House of Commons with no discussion in the House, and violate a domestic law with no discussion in the House. There does seem to be a case for pulling out: Canada’s former Liberal government signed the Kyoto, which requires a cut in greenhouse gas emissions to 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. But Canada’s emissions in 2009 were 17 per cent above 1990. It’s like the kid in school who knows he’s going to fail the class, so he drops it before that happens.

In other news, Restaurant Brands has acquired rights to operate a fourth brand, adding to its current stable of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks Coffee businesses. Restaurant Brands will be building and operating the Carl’s Jr. chain of restaurants in New Zealand, regardless of falls in sales through its other three fast food operations.