The Sierra Club of Canada has recently released its twelfth annual "RIO Report Card". The report doles out grades for both the federal and provincial governments on how they have performed in terms of meeting international environmental commitments.
Overall, the results of the report card show that there has been good progress in urban areas, with an improving green infrastructure and a start of an industrial strategy for cities. However, marks went down for protecting parks, endangered species, and oceans.
Provincially, PEI received an A- for measures to address climate change, while Ontario was most improved after its government change. Alberta received the worst grades, with Fs in both the biodiversity and climate change topics. BC fared almost as poorly, with only its progress on the Great Bear Rainforest keeping it from receiving two Fs as well.
Normally, the report card is released in June in honour of the 1992 Earth Summit, but this year, the report was delayed until after the federal election. Because of this, the federal grade was split between the last six months of Chretien's term, and the first six months of Martin's. Because of the short time period, Martin's government was given an "incomplete" mark.
» Sierra Club: The Twelfth Annual Report on International Obligations (RIO) Report Card
The Dominion is a monthly paper published by an incipient network of independent journalists in Canada. It aims to provide accurate, critical coverage that is accountable to its readers and the subjects it tackles. Taking its name from Canada's official status as both a colony and a colonial force, the Dominion examines politics, culture and daily life with a view to understanding the exercise of power.