"To fight climate change, we're all in this together," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. "Canada is back."
Yes, our new prime minister attended COP21 and repeated what seems to have become the mantra for his newly formed government: "We're back."
Trudeau is determined to make Canada a leader again in protecting the environment and addressing climate change, among other issues.
He finished his address at COP21 saying: "Canada is back, my good friends. We're here to help to build an agreement that will do our children and our grandchildren proud."
Trudeau has been on something of a whirlwind tour since elected - from meeting teenage girls in the Philippines while at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to chatting with Barack Obama. He has been making the rounds and, for the most part, his first forays onto the international landscape have gone well. Like his father before him, he is certainly turning heads.
But now Trudeau and the Liberals must get down to the business of running the country. It is all well and good to declare "we're back" but what does that mean in terms of policy and process?
We got our first glimpse on Friday with the Speech from the Throne which is read by the Governor General but written by the government. It is the Liberal's statement of intent.
Relatively speaking, it was a short speech focusing on five central themes. The first, growth for the middle class, is a commitment to live up to the promises made during the election. The principal commitment seems to be a tax cut for the middle income earners.
How do they plan to pay for it? The Throne Speech is silent on the issue but it would appear to be by increasing the tax burden on the highest one per cent of earners - those earning more than $191,000. The essential premise is those with more ability to pay should bear more of the burden.
It is a move back to a more progressive tax system.
Their second theme is a commitment to open and transparent government. This is an oft repeated phrase so the proof will be in the pudding.
The third theme is a commitment to "a clean environment and a strong economy."
Specifically, "the government will prove to Canadians and to the world that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. We cannot have one without the other. Protecting the environment and growing the economy are not incompatible goals; in fact, our future success demands that we do both.
"Last week, first ministers met ahead of the international climate change talks - a first step in an important and ongoing process. Working together, the government will continue to provide leadership as Canada works toward putting a price on carbon and reducing carbon pollution.
"To encourage economic growth, the government will make strategic investments in clean technology, provide more support for companies seeking to export those technologies, and lead by example in their use. And as part of efforts to restore public trust, the government will introduce new environmental assessment processes.
"Public input will be sought and considered. Environmental impacts will be understood and minimized. Decisions will be informed by scientific evidence. And indigenous peoples will be more fully engaged in reviewing and monitoring major resource development projects."
It is a laudable and ambitious agenda.
The concrete action will be the imposition of a price on carbon similar to the one which British Columbians have paid for several years. But the critical question will be: "What does the government intend to do with the funds generated?"
If the answer is corporate tax cuts, then the whole thing is a disaster for the environment. If the answer is a tax cut for the middle class that is just robbing Peter to pay Paul.
The answer should be making strategic investments in research and development leading to a cleaner environment and reduced emissions, including greenhouse gases. The critical component is development - putting research into tangible action. There is a lot of research on the subject, but not a lot of action.
The last two themes from the Throne Speech addressed the same issue from different ways.
The fourth theme was "diversity is Canada's strength" and the fifth "security and opportunity."
Canada is a multicultural country composed predominantly of immigrants. Some have been here for generations; some are newly arrived. Only the First Nations can truly lay claim to being indigenous Canadians.
For the most part, Canadians have learned to live with each other and to celebrate both our commonalities and our differences. Or as the Throne Speech puts it: "Canada succeeds in large part because here, diverse perspectives and different opinions are celebrated, not silenced."
This is our Canada.
Are we back? We never left.
But with this new government, it would seem we are on a different tack.
