WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton has released a policy paper that calls for a wide-ranging, co-ordinated Canada-U.S.-Mexico climate-change plan one day after announcing her opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline.
The position paper from the presidential contender adds a new wrinkle to an issue that has inserted itself in two national elections — the current Canadian one, and the 2016 U.S. presidential race.
Clinton wants to follow up her opposition to Keystone with a more ambitious climate program that includes immediately launching negotiations toward a North American Climate Compact.
It's the first time a prominent U.S. politician has explicitly linked the pipeline issue to more action on climate change from Canada — something President Barack Obama has never done.
Clinton says she would seek strong national targets to cut carbon pollution; ensure all three countries demonstrate a commitment to climate action; and create accountability measures to make sure each country respects its commitments.
The paper comes one day after she stunned allies of the Keystone project by announcing opposition to a pipeline she'd once said she was inclined to support, and she called Canadian oil the continent's dirtiest fuel.
That announcement instantly became a 2016 U.S. election issue, as Republicans pounced on her. In Canada, the governing Conservatives issued a cautious statement defending the project while the Liberals and NDP jumped into it.
The Liberals support the Alberta-to-Texas pipeline and blame its delays on the Harper government's inaction on climate change. The NDP opposes it, on the grounds that it would ship refining jobs to the U.S.
