The Prime Minister is under fire from both Liberals and New Democrats for remaining non-committal on whether Canada will back a proposal by Germany for a post-Kyoto agreement when G8 nations meet in Germany next week. China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa will also be part of the discussions.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government is once again investing all its energy in arguing against taking action on climate change.

Although the vast majority is convinced, a new survey by Angus Reid Strategies also found that people in various regions hold different attitudes. In Alberta, as example, 69 per cent of respondents said they believed in global warming, while in Quebec, the number soared to 83 per cent.

Fifty-seven per cent of Quebecers, moreover, said they are promoting better behavior toward the environment while only 36 per cent of Albertans said they are doing the same.

A wire dispatch suggests the move illustrates the Harper government’s intention to seize control of a politically charged issue by wresting it away from bureaucrats. The Climate Change Policy Directorate, a working group that has played a key role in shaping policy, has been eliminated by Environment Canada.

There appears to be a rash of forgetfulness breaking out in the Canadian Conservative Party as Tories from the top down begin acknowledging (or stop denying) the truth of climate change.

The most important example is that of Prime Minister Stephen Harper himself. Harper is not just acknowledging climate change as a serious issue (as we reported on Wednesday), now he's trying to say that this has been his position all along.