Climate change still a priority in NAFTA talks: environment minister

Canada's environment minister says climate change isstill a priority in talks with U.S. officials on NAFTA, despitePresident Donald Trump's recent threat to scrap the pact altogether.

Trump told a rally in Arizona on Tuesday that the U.S. would"probably" end up terminating the North American Free TradeAgreement, just after formal negotiations began last week.

Climate change was already seen as a potential stumbling block inthe negotiations, as Trump has previously called global warming a"hoax" and withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord.

But Catherine McKenna says Trump's "heated rhetoric" won't stopCanada from promoting its interests, which include protecting itswater, air, land and animals from the impacts of climate change.

McKenna was in Vancouver on Thursday to attend a roundtablemeeting with members of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and tomeet with British Columbia's environment minister, George Heyman.

She was asked about the B.C. government's plan to join a courtchallenge of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and McKennareplied that the province can make its own decisions but Ottawastill supports the project.

"We do think that this project is going to create good jobs,it's going to help grow the economy and that it can be done in asustainable way," she said.