The House

Canada's repositioning on the world stage

On the mid-week podcast edition of The House, we talk to David Runnalls, a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, about Canada's role at the UN Climate Change Conference, and to Selcuk Unal, Turkey's Ambassador to Canada, about the upcoming G20 meeting -- Justin Trudeau's first foreign trip as Prime Minister.
Catherine McKenna, who beat longtime NDP MP Paul Dewar, will represent Ottawa Centre on Parliament Hill. (CBC News)

With the new Environment Minister just back from a trip to Paris to get ready for the upcoming COP21 international climate conference that begins at the end of the month and the Prime Minister getting ready for his first foreign trip since last month's election, is Canada's international role about to shift?

The rhetoric is certainly there.

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has been talking about Canada being back and that national target set by the Conservatives for cutting greenhouse gas emissions should be considered a floor for future action. But will actions back up those words?

The new Liberal government has so far refused to set a carbon reduction target in advance of the, citing the need to consult with the provinces before putting in place a credible national plan.

Environment Minister sure Canada can sway Paris talks

9 years ago
Duration 16:04
Catherine McKenna says she's confident Canada will have a big impact at the Paris climate change summit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has certainly talked about doing things differently on the world stage, but how will that translate to his first meetings with other world leaders, starting with the gathering of the G20 in Turkey?

On the mid-week podcast edition of The House, we talk to David Runnalls, a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and Selcuk Unal, Turkey's Ambassador to Canada.