OTTAWA — Canada’s environment ministers are talking by phone today, trying to make headway on a national plastics strategy that would put more onus on producers to keep the stuff from ending up in landfills and waterways.
Many expect the conversation to be tense, because of animosity between federal minister Catherine McKenna and provincial ministers who are fighting Ottawa in court over plans to impose a carbon price in their jurisdictions.
The meeting was to be held in person in Ottawa this afternoon but was reduced first to a video conference and now just a conference call.
Federal officials insist that’s because of scheduling conflicts, not political ones.
The discussion also comes just before McKenna flies to Poland for the annual United Nations environment meeting, following up on the Paris agreement to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
Sixteen European nations Friday asked all countries to revisit their climate action plans in light of dire warnings that the planet is in deep trouble if more isn’t done to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere.
The Canadian Press
