ABSTRACT
Why describe this Canadian angst? The tensions identified above are integral to understanding the Canadian approach to climate change and at least some of the reasoning behind the Canadian ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Whether the ratification decision was brave or foolhardy remains to be seen. The fact is that Canada is at least symbolically out of step with the United States. Yet, the US is not really out of the game, it is just sitting (albeit noisily) on the multilateral sidelines and for Canada, the US is never on the sidelines. Its presence is always felt. Regardless of the future of the Kyoto Protocol without the US, Canada will still cooperate with the United States-bilaterally, trilaterally, and perhaps less directly, multilaterally.
