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OTTAWA — Maxime Bernier believes Earth’s climate is changing. However, he has “no opinion” as to the cause, and his new political party doesn’t plan to propose any specific climate policy ahead of next year’s election, instead trusting the private sector to solve the problem.

In an interview with the National Post, the leader of the fledgling People’s Party of Canada lamented the way some people interpreted his recent statements on Twitter — that CO2 is food for plants, not pollution — to mean he is a climate-change denier.

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“I believe in climate change,” he said. Asked if critics are not taking him literally enough on such statements, Bernier said, “Yes.”

PPC spokesman Martin Masse explained, however, that Bernier doesn’t want to proclaim any opinions on its causes. “Mr. Bernier recognizes that CO2 can have an effect on climate change. He also recognizes that the majority of scientists believe that human activity is already having a negative impact on climate change, although a minority still believe this is not the case. As a non-scientist, he doesn’t have an opinion on this,” Masse said in a statement.

“The PPC’s focus is not on debating the science but on the measures that should be taken to lower the consumption of carbon energy. No government policy that is now being debated, certainly not the government’s carbon tax, is likely to have any effect on global climate change.”

In the interview, Bernier said he will propose no specific climate policy as part of the platform for his new party, which has yet to be formally registered by Elections Canada. He said his broader economic policies, including a flat, lower tax rate for business, would allow the private sector to find solutions.