Monday, January 28, 2008

Harper Creates Leadership Vacuum

Very telling article, outlining the frustration of those in the business community, as it relates to climate change policy. Flaherty recently commented that a "patchwork" approach to climate change would lead to uneven regulation, harming the economy. This belief is re-iterated here, and serves as a testament to the leadership vacuum, the failure of the Conservative government to set the tone:
Some businesses are becoming hesitant about investing in Canada because of the "policy chaos" on climate change being created by the federal and provincial governments, says the head of the country's top business group.
In a letter to provincial leaders being released Monday in advance of the premiers' two-day meeting in Vancouver, Tom d'Aquino of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives chides the premiers for going it alone on climate change with "different objectives and often inconsistent policies".

" They're all over the map . . . it's policy chaos," he said in an interview.
"We're talking about issues that will have a profound impact on major industries and ultimately Canadian consumers, and if you (governments) all moving in different directions it means you have overlapping regulations, conflicting relations."

D'Aquino called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to convene a series of first ministers' conferences on climate change, saying the issue is among the most critical challenges facing the country.

The reason provinces are "going it alone", in a myriad of directions, is because Canada lacks a cohesive policy, the domain of the federal government. The Conservatives have failed to listen to the provinces, Alberta excluded, and this reality has forced different jurisdictions to adopt their own frameworks. In the absence of federal leadership, Canada is creating "chaos".

Further evidence of the disarray, Ed Stelmach can't even bother to show up for a Premier's discussion on climate change:
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach will attend today's portion of the two-day meeting in Vancouver, which will focus mainly on provincial trade barriers. But he will not be at tomorrow's session, where many of the premiers are hoping to strike a national accord on how to deal with the fallout from global warming.

Mr. Olsen said he is not attending the climate change talks because, "he has lots of work to do in Alberta."


The federal government's failure to deal with the elephant in the room, allows for such arrogance on the part of Stelmach, allows for other provinces to react unilaterally. This government needs to step in and set the agenda, hopefully the emerging complaints from the business community prompt some action, because that interest group would appear to have Harper's ear. What we see now, is a complete and utter joke, amateurish, and above all, anything but serious.

11 comments:

wilson said...

Alberta's Premier is accountable to Albertans, period.

You guys want your Premiers to kill jobs in your province, go for it.
Go for California style emisions in your auto imdustry.
Quebecers just got their first bill for a provicial Kyoto.
They don't like it much when they have to pay.

The enviro meeting is about dealing with 'adaptation' to global warming.
Albertans do not have to worry about rising sea levels.

Anonymous said...

You do have to worry about your rivers disappearing as the province becomes an inhospitable dust bowl.

Try steaming tar of a rock with nothing.

JimBobby said...

Whooee! Big business leaders have been pushing for strong standard regulations since at least Davos 2007. Now, they're at Davos 2008 saying the same thing. The world's top economists and corporate leaders all agree that action needs to be taken on climate change. That action needs to come from all sectors.

The oil & gas industry enjoys more that a $1.5 billion in subsidies from the federal government. Corporate welfare to one of the world's most profitable industries -- while our government does all it can to to clear the way for tar sands exploitation and profiteering.

Harper: not a leader.

JB

Steve V said...

"Albertans do not have to worry about rising sea levels."

That might be the stupidiest thing you've ever said, and that is impressive, given you ignorance. Please just go away.

jb

The remarkable part in the link, some are accepting a carbon tax as reasonable.

ottlib said...

Wow Wilson, that last statement in your comment has to be the most selfish one I have heard in a long time.

Fortunately, most Albertans do care about things beyond their borders so thankfully you are a minority.

Steve V said...

ottlib

Fortunately is right.

JimBobby said...

I reckon most Albertans, unlike Wilson, consider themselves to be Canadians. Canada will be affected by rising sea levels.

Should the global economy collapse with major coastal cities submerged, Alberta will have a lot fewer customers for its product. The eastern bastards will have frozen in the dark and will be unable to buy.

Kill jobs? Alternative energy technology (wind, solar) has added 200,000 jobs to the German economy. Our failure to capitalize on this burgeoning high-tech industry is what's killing jobs.

JB

Oxford County Liberals said...

Well at least Wilson was honest that she couldn't give two hoots about the environment. Let the oil barons make their billions in profit and let the future generations worry about figuring out how to grow anything on a wasteland.

Very egalitarian of you, Wilson. I hope the Harper constituency office gets back to you soon and tells you not to be so honest about the Cons. hypocrisy on climate change. HOw else will they fool Canadians into pretending they a) care and b) their so called manageable economic GHG plan can work?

Gayle said...

"I reckon most Albertans, unlike Wilson, consider themselves to be Canadians. Canada will be affected by rising sea levels."

Yes. As the designated Albertan poster I will speak for all of us :)!

Wilson's attitude demonstrates exactly what is wrong with this government and many of its supporters. Selfishness.

It may seem trite to put it down to that, but it is the easiest way to describe that attitude,

Steve V said...

gayle

I nominate you official Alberta spokeswoman :)

Conservatism is selfish in many respects. That is why they always favor slashing taxes for the rich, embrace the idea of trickle-down, don't see any reason for a social safety net to help others... One of the main reasons why most conservatives seem to be anti-environment, is because they just don't give a shit about anything outside of their personal stake, they lack the intellectual sophistication to see beyond their narrow self-interest.

900ft Jesus said...

Wilson’s comment isn’t just selfish, it’s really stupid and uninformed. Even if sea levels rising don’t directly affect Alberta, they will still affect that province, as will other consequences of climate change.

When global economies are affected, when national economies are affected, all provinces feel it. Delivery costs, food costs etc. will hit Albertans as well. So will the influx of climate refugees.

It’s more than rising sea levels we will need to adapt to.

As for “Alberta's Premier is accountable to Albertans, period.” - bull shit. He is also responsible to make that province function within a federation.