Soft Underbelly

It is quite refreshing to see environmental issues emerging as a serious debating point for the Liberal Party. Chretien and Martin hit the right talking points, but had the vision of a bat at noon when approaching our environmental policy. No matter how you approach the issue, whether tactically or morally, or a combination of both, the environment represents opportunity for the Liberal Party. On the tactical front, we see a largely successful Harper, with this glaring weakness:

63 per cent of respondents said they thought the Conservatives were doing a poor job on the environment. That was before the news came out that the government was pulling funding for a number of climate-change initiatives.

Anderson said public opinion research suggests Canadians are becoming more focused on global environmental issues and that Harper should take note.

"It's important for them to position themselves as progressive advocates of envrionmental solutions domestically and internationally if they want to broaden their support base," he said.

As people are quick to point out, Decima's polls are suspect, so this overwhelming opinion on the environment looks even more impressive. Of all the issues, the Conservative's are most vulnerable on the environmental file. The trick for the Liberals is too articulate why environmental concerns should be given primary consideration at the voting booth. All too often, people say they favor environmental reform, but it tends to get lost in the discussion and becomes a tertiary issue.

The Liberal Party is in the midst of a navel gazing exercise to discover who they are and what they represent. I can't think of another issue where the Liberals can demonstrate their relevance than an aggressive debate on the environment. Canada can't afford the glacial tinkering of its policies, we desperately need to employ words like "revolution". If the Liberal Party can bring forward a "radical" vision for environmental policy as we move forward, Canadians may finally be prepared to listen. A policy that isn't afraid to speak of sacrifices can be well received if it is accompanied by the real sense of urgency.

Where are the Conservatives most vulnerable- check. How can the Liberals re-define themselves and adopt a coherent vision that sets them apart- check. What can the Liberals do to stop the bleeding in Quebec- check. How can the Liberals appeal to the disaffected NDP and Green voter- check. What issue demands revolutionary thinking- check. It's a no brainer, as far as I'm concerned and a moral imperative to boot.