Is it a revival of that grand old Ontario tradition -- fence sitting if necessary but not necessarily fence sitting -- or a straightforward cop-out?

The position of the Ernie Eves government on the Kyoto Protocol is so remarkably opaque that critics and foes are stumbling over themselves to characterize it.

Both sides want to believe that Ontario is with them but Mr. Eves has been adept enough at exploiting the federal government's clumsy handling of the greenhouse-gas issue that no one really knows what he's thinking. It's enough to bring tears to the eyes of those who fondly remember the days when Bill Davis ruled Ontario by obfuscation.

The kernel of the government's position is clear enough. It says it can't take a position on Kyoto until the federal government releases details about targets for cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions.

It's the narrowest of paths that Mr. Eves is hiking. On one side, he's got the corporate community, which is hostile to Kyoto. These people fork over a lot of money to the Conservative Party.

But to echo their position would be to rouse the great body of Ontario residents who just have to recall last summer's fearsome smogs to conclude it's not smart to resist antipollution measures. It's a tactic that seems to be working well enough.

Consider that Jack Gibbons, chair of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, finds much to cheer about in the fact that the Premier has not come out against Kyoto.

"As long as he just basically sits on the fence and doesn't oppose it, he is implicitly endorsing it," he said.

And then marvel that Alberta Premier Ralph Klein has come to believe Ontario is warming to his province's anti-Kyoto message.

"I think that Ernie is ostensibly onside," he said yesterday in Edmonton. "I don't know how much he's been speaking out on this issue in Toronto or Ontario but I think that ostensibly he has concerns about the impact that the Kyoto Protocol might have on the Ontario economy."

Don't expect Mr. Eves to link arms with Mr. Klein after their meeting in Toronto tomorrow, however. Ontario officials are characterizing the one-hour meeting as a chance for Mr. Klein to spell out the plan for tackling greenhouse gas emissions that he released last week. Mr. Eves, they say, won't be taking sides until Ottawa reveals what moves the Kyoto accord entails.

Opposition politicians at Queen's Park think that Mr. Klein's instincts are correct and that Ontario is getting set to line up with Alberta against Ottawa.

Marilyn Churley, the New Democratic Party environment critic, believes Mr. Eves has done a "complete cop-out" on Kyoto and is crawling into bed with the Alberta Premier. James Bradley, the Liberals' environment critic, thinks Mr. Eves "sounds like a spokesperson for the polluters."

Both think Ontario should be leading the charge for Kyoto by setting emission-reduction targets and lobbying Ottawa.

Such talk drives Environment Minister Chris Stockwell crazy.

"Leading what charge? Leading the charge of the Light Brigade?" he said. "Am I going to lead a charge to economic disaster?"

Mr. Stockwell says he feels as if he and his opponents are in different worlds that will never intersect. He believes they are making a moral argument about reducing pollution while he is arguing about the economic consequences of ill-considered action.

"There has to be a better public-policy position for a better environment than something that just makes people feel good."

The Environment Minister is becoming increasing skeptical that Ottawa will ever divulge its Kyoto strategy to the provinces. When he said as much last week, it was widely seen as evidence that Ontario would oppose Kyoto.

But Mr. Stockwell refuses to answer "a simple question" from a reporter about whether Ontario will line up with Alberta. "Sometimes simple questions don't elicit simple answers," he said.

Bill Davis couldn't have said it more obscurely.
mcampbell@globeandmail.ca