Friday, January 19, 2007

Notice A Trend?

As reliable as the sunrise, you can always count on a Conservative to slam the Liberal record on the environment. I'm not here to defend the Liberal record (why would you really?), but I do find it interesting that the party that "did nothing for 13 years" seems to be the architect for every Conservative announcement on the environment. Find the common theme:

Announcement:
The federal government made another “green” announcement Friday, this one promising more than $1.5 billion for a new ecoENERGY Renewable Initiative to strengthen Canada’s renewable energy sources.

Background:
The government’s renewable energy initiative is similar to the 2005 Liberal budget's commitment of $920 million over 15 years for wind power.


Announcement:
a $230-million investment over four years into research on clean technologies

Background:
Emilie Moorhouse, spokeswoman for the Sierra Club of Canada, said the Conservatives are "just kind of reviving an old Liberal plan."


Announcement:
The Conservative government has launched a $300-million plan to curb the use of toxic chemicals in Canada.

The plan, which will be implemented over four years, focuses on chemicals that are harmful to human health and the environment.

Background:
The announcement follows an exhaustive seven-year scientific survey of the 23,000 chemical compounds, not including pesticides, now used in Canada to identify the most dangerous.


Announcement
The package will require biofuel content of 5 per cent in gasoline by 2010 and 2 per cent in diesel fuel and heating oil by 2012, Environment Minister Rona Ambrose and Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl told a news conference yesterday in Saskatoon.

Background:
The Liberal government made significant direct investments in the expansion of ethanol production in Canada. It invested $118 million in 11 projects across the country. These projects helped create new markets for Canadian farmers, diversifying Canadian farming and injecting new vitality into rural economies. The government also committed itself to increasing the ethanol content in gasoline to 10 per cent in at least 35 per cent of all gasoline sold in Canada by 2010.


Announcement:
Sunday, it is expected to unveil a new program dealing with energy efficiency in the home.

Background
The government is expected to deliver its own version of the EnerGuide program’s house retrofit incentive initiative, a program that the new Conservative government pulled the plug on in May. It allowed homeowners to have their homes evaluated before renovations and then provided a rebate for retrofitting their homes in energy efficient ways.

Observers and critics have said the government should not be given too much credit for this week’s announcements, saying the initiatives are little more than a revival of old Liberal programs that were suspended or cut by the Conservatives last year.

It really is laughable for the Conservatives to criticize the Liberal record on the one hand, only to make announcement after announcement that is rooted in that record. Imagine if those Liberal clowns actually did something while in government? I hope a reporter asks what the cost is too the taxpayer for the the Energuide name change??

6 comments:

wilson said...

What makes you think that the root of all enviro programs leads to Liberals?
Think again, Conservatives were green long before it became fashionable for the Libs:

Canada's FIRST commercial wind farm was in Alberta.

The first commercial wind farm in Ontario is Huron Wind , Dec 2004.
10 years AFTER Alberta.

Cowley Ridge Windplant, the FIRST commercial windplant in Canada, was completed in August of 1994.

http://www.canhydro.com/www2005/projects/cowleyridgewind/

Canada's LARGEST wind farm is in Alberta.
.... Calgary-based Vision Quest Windelectric Inc., an industry pioneer that operates three wind farms near Pincher Creek, is the largest such company in Canada.

The FIRST Province (and as of May/06 still the only) to have climate change-specific legislation in Canada.
April 7, 2003 Bill 37
Alberta reaffirmed its leadership in environmental management April 7 by introducing legislation that will provide the framework for the implementation of its action plan on climate change.

Anonymous said...

The biggest difference is between Liberal talk and Conservative action.

Liberals always make grand promises that they don't keep, so what if some of these happen to be good policy - it's irrelevant because the Liberals wouldn't carry it through anyhow.

A Conservative minority government has done more for Canada in a year than the past dozen years of Liberal mismanagement.

wayward son said...

"The biggest difference is between Liberal talk and Conservative action."

How do consider it action for the Conservatives to first cut functioning environmental programs, then when they realize that it is harming them at the polls to reinstate the same programs under a different name??

Anonymous said...

Interesting to see if there's a cost-analysis study comparison by the media to see if the startup costs of this 'new' energuide-lite program is more than a piddling amount. This is an interesting attempt at branding by the 'scorched earth party'. Funny how they blue men droop are suddenly instant converts to the environment, when but a few months ago Harpor was adamant that gas was the future to all our problems... Yep, WilsonL7 can sure unveil all the greenery in this Con-job. Just hope it doesn't rain before the paints dried.

Steve V said...

"Interesting to see if there's a cost-analysis study comparison by the media to see if the startup costs of this 'new' energuide-lite program is more than a piddling amount"

Exactly.

wilson

You seem to waste a great deal of energy comparing Alberta and Ontario. Canada isn't a grudge match between tribes, expand your narrow horizons. You come across as an immature, insecure 10 year old, trying to impress everyone at recess.

ottlib said...

Anonymous:

Yawn.

You better come up with a different line because this one has run its course.