Let Montreal hold 20th anniversary celebration of protocol, feds urged

Montreal should be allowed to hold a celebration on the 20th anniversary of the environmental protocol that bears its name, a retired Ottawa environmentalist says.

Since 1987, 180 countries have ratified the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement banning ozone-depleting chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons in aerosol sprays and in refrigeration products.

Federal Environment Minister Rona Ambrose has been asked to approve a plan to hold a celebration in the city the agreement is named for Montreal.

Vic Buxton, a former Environment Canada employee who helped write the agreement, said it would be appropriate for the country to host the celebration since Canadian scientists and negotiators played a lead role in its creation.

"There is no doubt the path to the Montreal Protocol was paved with maple leafs," Buxton said.

But other environmentalists fear the Conservative government will turn down the chance to host the event as part of its stance on the Kyoto Protocol.

"As they begin to connect the dots in the Harper government, they'll realize that the Montreal Protocol was the prototype for the Kyoto Protocol," environmentalist Elizabeth May said.

Liberal environment critic Scott Brison recently accused Ambrose of trying to sabotage the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement between many of the world's nations calling for a steady reduction in greenhouse gases.

• FROM MAY 20, 2006: Ambrose undermined Kyoto, Liberals claim

Ambrose has touted a made-in-Canada solution to clean up the environment at home. The Conservatives have refused to meet specific emission reduction targets, but say they have not abandoned Kyoto.

May, who is running for leadership of the Green party, argues that the very success of the Montreal Protocol may also be its downfall.

Recent studies suggest the agreement appears to be helping the ozone layer recover, though it has been noted the ozone layer will likely never be restored to pre-1980 levels.

• FROM MAY 3, 2006: Incomplete recovery forecast for Earth's ozone layer

Ambrose is expected to make an announcement in the next month on whether Montreal will host anniversary celebrations.