News Release
Minister Baird Responds to Statements by Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore
OTTAWA , April 28, 2007 - With respect to the comments of former United States Vice President Al Gore, the Honourable John Baird, the Minister of the Environment, made the following statement:
“Former Vice-President Al Gore deserves acknowledgement for the success of his film in highlighting the huge ecological challenge of climate change. It is regrettable, however, that the former Vice President has criticized Canada’s recently released action plan to cut greenhouse gases and air pollution.
“It is difficult to accept criticism from someone who preaches about climate change, but who never submitted the Kyoto Protocol to a vote in the United States Senate, who never did as much as Canada is now doing to fight climate change during eight years in Office, and who has campaigned exclusively for hundreds of Democratic candidates who have weaker plans to fight greenhouse gases than Canada’s New Government.
“It is equally regrettable that the former US Vice President decided to speak out without ever having been briefed on the contents of our plan.
"The fact is our plan is vastly tougher than any measures introduced by the Administration of which the former Vice President was a member."
“I am ready to meet with Mr. Gore at any time to discuss the climate change threat and our Government's tough plan to reduce Canada's emissions”.
Mr. Baird, forever the pitbull, seems to forget the historical facts of a Republican dominated Senate and House of Representatives during the Clinton years, not to mention the fact that he again looks to the past to excuse the NOW. I'm also confident that Gore knows the "contents of our plan", so his opinion is valid. Given the fact that Baird makes it personal again, and then offers to meet with Gore, I recommend a public debate with either Gore or maybe Suzuki. Afterall, Baird should have no problem arguing the merits of the toughest climate change plan on the globe should he? I agree, these two should really meet, with the cameras rolling.
8 comments:
Yes, if Baird is so confident of the rightness of his plan/position let him debate its merits with Suzuki and /or Gore in public on the record. If Baird is correct he should be able to wipe the floor with the two men and further gain support for his CPC plan, if not it shows that for all his rhetoric abilities when it comes to having to face down on facts against those that know their facts he is a blustering bully that does not know what he is talking about. If he refuses then it shows how little he believes in his own plan and if he cannot stand up for it in such a venue then it cannot be all that good a plan now can it? Which in turn speaks volumes for how much he truly believes in his own plan actually being able to accomplish what his rhetoric about it says it will.
John "Fat Ass" Baird can say anything he wants.
Re: checking on polluters in the U.S.
During the Clinton years 79 polluting companies were checked on and reprimanded "per year".
During the Bush administration, so far only 42 have been checked in 5 years.
Baird's an embarrassment - can you imagine what Gore and other Americans think of him? Scary cause he represents us.
Well, at least he didn't blame Mr. Gore for inventing YouTube.
More seriously, do you really think Mr. Baird has forgotten the history of the US Senate in the 1990's?
My guess is that he never did have a clue, does not have one, and never will have one in the future
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Re: Anonymous said...
John "Fat Ass" Baird can say anything he wants.
8:37 PM, April 28, 2007
Yes, he can and does. Why? Because he's in the New Government of Canada.
The New Government of Canada has done more with lies in 14 months than the previous government did in 13 years, dont'cha know.
Great rebuttal to Baird's latest bluster! I've quoted your post on our blog (see "Baird's Bull Gets 'Gored'...." under Links to This Post, below).
My 2-cent's worth: to save on travel-related carbon emissions, they should do the debate by video link from wherever they are.
Baird would still have to buy extra carbon offsets to cover his hot air. :-)
Baird's statement did make sense, and you can't deny that.
Steve, thanks for reprinting it.
The decent thing to do is for Gore to have talked with the government. I don't know why he wouldn't have done so.
I can't imagine my supporting a Canadian party or party rep that actively tries to undermine an American party while governing, to support a rival party's position. The only situation I can recall are the draft dodgers from Vietnam. At the time I strongly supported the Canadian position (I was young, too) because they weren't a volunteer army, and the war was unjust.
Mr. Gore's position must have to do with his view that the opposition's position is closer to his views and he feels the power to affect Canadian politics. It is an appalling rationalization.
I have to think more about what it means.
In regards to Baird debating Suzuki, that wouldn't be a fair fight. Baird has never claimed some holiness around environmental activism, he is the Minister of this portfolio for the government, and a politician.
However, I would love to see McGuinty debate Baird on this file.
I would love to see Suzuki be debated as well. I don't know if I can think of anybody right at the moment. Perhaps Patrick Moore might be a fair fight.
Tomm
The thing about David Suzuki is that he has not had the opportunity to use public office to fix the planet (although I'm sure the LPC could find him a riding to stand for in AB) whereas Gore has had the opportunity and blown it.
Baird didn't come after Gore - Gore came after him. I don't expect the Queen's Ministers to be pinatas for foreign hypocrites foraying from their 10,000sqft houses whose emissions are supposedly offset by a company Gore is a director of.
If Baird had refused to meet Gore (and refusing to meet foreign dignitaries has been a very poor aspect of this Government) that would have been one thing but berating seems to have replaced debating.
When Al Gore goes to Beijing to tell them off for poisoning millions of American pets with "fake protein" while depositing coal particulates over the Rockies via the Pacific Jetstream, I'll be interested to see how seriously he's taken.
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