DELEGATES WANT NDP TO BECOME MORE GREEN

Premier Lorne Calvert's government faced a challenge from its own
party to get a lot more green.

Delegates to the NDP convention gave nearly unanimous approval to a
resolution calling for the government to set targets for greenhouse
gas reductions for the next five, 10 and 15 years.

It also called for the government to work to reduce fossil fuel
consumption and to invest heavily in renewable energy sources and
energy conservation.

"I think we all have a sense that climate change is going to be one of
our greatest challenges in the new century," said Saskatoon Greystone
MLA Peter Prebble in an impassioned speech to delegates.

A report from the David Suzuki Foundation environmental group recently
said that along with Alberta, Saskatchewan is the worst emissions
offenders in Canada. The province has seen the biggest increase in
emissions since 1990 and is the worst per-capita emitter in Canada.

But Prebble said in an interview the resolution was not meant as a
rebuke to the government, which has a good record on energy
conservation and has boosted wind power and biofuels and touted the
merits of carbon sequestration.

He said it was as much about the national government failing to set
targets for reductions.

No provinces have set emission targets except Quebec, which has said
it will honour the Kyoto protocol, but Saskatchewan could serve as an
example to others.

"Clearly we haven't done enough or we wouldn't be in the position we
are in now. There has been a lot of economic development done and it's
resulted in a significant increase in emissions. Now what we need to
turn our mind to is economic development that will actually make a
major contribution towards reducing emissions," said Prebble, who is
serving as the government's legislative secretary for energy
conservation and renewables.

Prebble said he believes a solid plan means economic opportunity and
is also good politics. The recent national debate over the
Conservative plan on greenhouse gas emissions shows the increasing
importance of the environment as a political issue.

Calvert told reporters the government is developing a sustainable
energy plan to be unveiled next year that may or may not contain
emission reduction targets.

While party members are strongly in favour of action on climate
change, the NDP appears to still have some divisions over the issue of
uranium development in Saskatchewan.

In a narrow vote, party members backed the government's efforts to
bring a uranium refinery to the province while ensuring that high
environmental and safety standards are met and that there are sound
economic and social advantages.

But delegates also approved a resolution that called on the government
to offer no new incentives, direct or indirect, to locate a uranium
refinery in Saskatchewan.

"We, of course, in government take seriously the debate of our own
political party," said Calvert.

"But at the end of the day, governments must choose public policy
which we believe are the right policies for the whole people of
Saskatchewan. So there will be occasion when a party policy will not
be reflected in government."

Among other resolutions, delegates also passed a call for government
support to facilitate the sale of the Maple Leaf plant in Saskatoon
slated to be closed, a call for anti-scab legislation, a call for the
government to take action to avoid an SGEU strike and a call for the
provincial party to support the federal NDP's position in favour of
"non-punitive" marijuana laws.