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Cullen heading to Paris talks

A northern MP is heading to France to make sure the new government's "feet are held to the fire" during climate change talks.
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CULLEN

A northern MP is heading to France to make sure the new government's "feet are held to the fire" during climate change talks.

Skeena-Bulkley Valley rep Nathan Cullen is joining the Canadian delegation at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in his role as NDP environment critic.

There's bound to be a large welcome mat laid down for Canada at the summit, said Cullen, and the tone of the country's involvement will change.

"Mr. Harper was always kind of ideologically against the whole idea of whether climate change existed and whether we should do anything about it," he said.

But a change in tone and a willingness to engage isn't going to be enough, according to Cullen, who said his role is to not let the government get away with "making a nice speech at something much more important - the world's last best chance at coming to an agreement and Canada finally doing its part."

"We need actual and concrete plans and to stop thinking this is somehow some massive sacrifice for our country instead of the opportunity that it is," he said. "So I want to work with this government. I've had several conversations with the new minister, and I'm feeling good about the way those conversations go, but we need a lot more than just 'wait and see, Canada will get back to you in six months.'"

Among the goals of this year's conference – which opens Nov. 30 – is to come to a binding agreement to keep global warming below 2 C.

Cullen said Canada should be committing to an emissions target.

"The new government has said that it will use science as its guide and science, then, is very helpful in explaining what Canada's contribution should be," said Cullen, calling last week's first ministers meeting in Ottawa a good first step. "Yet leadership requires, well, leadership. It requires a goal and a target is that goal."