By Campbell Clark, The Globe and Mail.

It wasn’t his central campaign theme, but prime-minister-designate Justin Trudeau now has a window of opportunity to surprise the country with a big climate-change deal – not the one in Paris, but the one with the premiers, where the rubber really hits the road.

That would be a potent political symbol for a leader who promised change. Over nine years of Stephen Harper’s rule, Canadians got used to the idea that action on climate change is distant or elusive.

Mr. Trudeau can go to global climate-change talks Paris in December and promise Canada will take real action to reduce emissions, and win a round of global applause.