"We have called for the resignation of the Environment Minister today because she doesn't enjoy the confidence of Canadians in the direction she is taking us".
Layton also made a terrific point, with regards to the Conservatives "made in Canada" jargon:
"I don't know where Mr. Harper felt he could arrive as Prime Minister and not have a climate change agenda ready to rollout, that has been a big shock."
Layton nails it with statement. If this government were truly serious about emissions, then why did they not have a policy developed when they took office? All the years in opposition, the Conservatives policy bluebooks and yet no strategy whatsoever. The fact that Ambrose and company will need a full nine months to develop an approach is a basic admission that they took office with nothing particular in mind, apart from some general criticisms of existing initiatives. It is simply reckless to abandon commitments, without replacements to fill the void.
Layton' statement should become the standard criticism against this government. This issue didn't materalize overnight, in fact pre-election polling put the environment at, or near the top, of issues cited by Canadians. The Tories had their Accountability Act, the tax policy and childcare, yet we only able to devote a couple meaningless lines to the environment in their platform. We are almost in a situation where the clock ticks while the government familarizes itself with the portfolio, inexcusable given the circumstances. Harper bragged about "hitting the ground running" with his new government, which makes this lack of policy all the more alarming. Incompetent or indifferent, those are the only two options to explain the complete inaction of this government.
12 comments:
Jack, I would sell your baby for money if it would help pay for his sponsored daycare program, Layton should know that the KYOTO protocal is a credit purchasing joke like the politicians who signed it into law and those who support it.
blank
You want to see a real joke, wait until we join the Asia-Pacific Partnership.
Jack does know that Rona isn't a Liberal, right?
bcer
Actually, it was funny because the premise of Layton's appearance on Newman's show was to discuss the NDP's fixation with the Liberals.
The point isn't Kyoto, it's that the Conservatives have no plan, which speaks to their lack of concern. If they were truly serious about climate control, they would have had a plan straight away, as opposed to this rush to come up with anything to blunt criticism.
Though the Kyoto Protocol's main objective is the global reduction of greenhouse gases, striving to meet our obligations has a profound importance to Canada that extends beyond that objective.
In a world where dependence on oil is outstripping the supply, countries, like Canada, where oil is abundant, will soon become targets for those countries whose military might will soon be the best (and arguably only) way to secure the supply of oil needed to sustain their economies and way of life.
With this reality in mind, the overarching responsibility of the Canadian government, regardless of party, should be to secure Canada’s future peaceable existence, by heavily investing in and promoting alternative sources of energy to aid in weaning the world off of its dependence on oil, thereby reducing the risk of Canada becoming a major future battleground in the global war for access to and control of oil.
Striving to meet Kyoto's targets in the present may go a long way in preventing Canada becoming a target in the future.
phil
The point is, why do we have to wait until the fall for the "plan"? We don't have time for these incompetents to familarize themselves with the issue- they should have had ideas developed over the last few years. All this waiting just proves that the Conservatives have the environment as a very low priority.
dale
Good points!
"the science is shaky at best and any dissenting members of the scientific community are driven out of town...literally"
Sorry, I can't take your opinions seriously. You obviously live under a rock, where common sense isn't welcomed.
"How bout a clean air act? Smog is a bigger threat to the health of canadians than so-called human induced climate change."
I'm for a clean air act, but lose your "human induced climate change isn't real" attitude. A clean air act will address people's concerns about CO2 emissions most likely too, and steam emissions, etc.
Climate Reform Against People is real, and hitting a fan near you. Aren't smog alerts reason enough to acknowledge that humans can change the weather locally, if not globally?
All this talk about a clean air act is just that talk. According to every environmental organization, Canada already has all the legislative ammunition it needs to tackle smog, it just lacks the will. Much will be made of Ambrose's Act, but here is the reality:
"Minister Ambrose is essentially re-inventing the wheel here,” says Julia Langer of the World Wildlife Fund.
You have the power, and the means, get on with it and stop trying to score political points with hollow slogans.
PhillTaj
I find it strange that you cite dwindling global oil supplies and the attractiveness of Canada's abundant reserves to foreign nations when arguing for increased military spending (your post - "Finally a Gov't that cares about National Defense?" - Sunday, February 19, 2006), yet dismiss a similar point when it is used to advocate for increased investment in alternative energy sources.
I suppose "you people still buy into that crap" as well, but only when it suits your agenda.
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