There are rumblings about three initiatives that could be announced Tuesday:
-A $300-million-plus contribution for Vancouver's public transit system. An official at the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Cannon will not only deliver on a Liberal promise to use gas-tax money for public transit, but will enrich it.
-Repackaging an air quality health index to give it much higher profile. The index already exists but many people are not aware of it, and it could be given prominence similar to that of the UV index which is reported in most cities on a daily basis.
-A program to retrofit diesel school buses, by either converting them to compressed natural gas or to ultra-low-emissions diesel. Air quality in school buses can be worse than what the children are exposed to outside. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is known to be concerned about asthma, which affliced him in childhood.
Interesting, that with all the Liberal bashing, Ambrose will contribute to a Liberal pledge on public transit. More money, thrown at a Liberal initiative is hardly inspiring.
Repackaging the air quality index is nothing more than a public relations exercise. As someone who has the misfortune of living in rural southern Ontario, we are all quite familar with indexes- everyone knows the air stinks, do something about it! The last thing we need is more expenditure wasted on telling us how bad off we are.
The only redeeming announcement seems to center around school bus refits, although if Ambrose was really "progressive" should would argue for hybrids. Pardon my cynicism, but I see this announcement as a "vote maximizer". Whatever the motivation, at least it is something concrete.
Expect a PR blitz to sell these announcements as substantial. I remain unimpressed, this looks like mostly window dressing that works on the margins.
UPDATE Ambrose LIES to H of C committee.
6 comments:
I was going to just go into detail about how you had mistaken loose rumors as being the entire environmental package, especially with your "the only redeeming announcement seems to center around school bus refits" and "remain unimpressed" remarks. And then it hit me.
You're a Liberal. No wonder you think this is the whole policy... you're so used to Liberal governments that "leak" the entire platform in advance (a.k.a. advanced polling without actually polling for poll-addicted governments that can't just make up their own mind and actually lead) that you've mistaken CTV running a rumor up the flagpole as being the Conservatives doing the same as the previous governments.
Carry on...
"as being the entire environmental package"
Where exactly did I say that? Hello, obviously this isn't the entire package, but it does set the tone doesn't it.
..and where's the promised "Made in Canada" program? Appears to have been completely aborted.
mark
They actually scrapped the "Made In Canada Plan" and replaced it with a "new approach". Remember the "Green Plan 2" that was supposed to emulate Mulroney. Gone. The word plan has disappeared from the Conservative vocabulary, and it didn't happen coincidentially. Approaches are far more ambigious, while plans imply you actually have one.
PS- May looks great so far!!
Hmmm...
"..and where's the promised "Made in Canada" program? Appears to have been completely aborted."
and...
"They actually scrapped the "Made In Canada Plan" and replaced it with a "new approach". Remember the "Green Plan 2" that was supposed to emulate Mulroney. Gone. The word plan has disappeared from the Conservative vocabulary..."
I seem to recall somebody saying something about mistaking loose rumors as being everything... all part of assuming that the rumors are the actual release... not that one would confuse the wording of the rumors as being the wording of the official release and thus people might suddenly jump to the conclusion that because of CTV's report one can assume the Conservatives have abandoned what they have been talking about all this time... not that just because it was going to be a made in Canada solution the plan was ever going to be dubbed "Made in Canada"... and not that your point about dropped vocabulary makes any sense in light of Rona Ambrose using the words "made in Canada" a couple of times while addressing the Commons committee last week...
...nevermind... a lot seems to have gone over your head.
Just be careful not to grasp onto too many straws this early. Your hands might be too full, too early to grasp onto any legitimate and insightful criticism.
" and not that your point about dropped vocabulary makes any sense in light of Rona Ambrose using the words "made in Canada" a couple of times while addressing the Commons committee last week..."
Read up, then spout.
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