Stephen Harper is at it yet again...breaking another promise to Canadians, or at least on the verge of calling an election despite his promise of fixed election dates. It seems that Harper will do whatever he wants as long as he, his Conservatives, and his industry cronies benefit. And since there is no party that is likely to beat the Conservatives right now, he will break his promise of fixed elections to win the next one by calling it early.
I don't really care much for politics, but rather the environment. And any Canadian party would be better for the environment than the Conservatives. That's why, after many years of voting Green, I will likely decided to vote for the one party in my riding that has the best chance of beating the Conservatives, whoever that turns out to be come election day.
Why do I feel Harper is such a threat to our environment? Well, simply because he is of the old school philosophy of extracting as many resources as possible with no concern for environmental impacts unless the public screams and it will affect his rating in the polls. Only then will he try to make it look like he gives a damn, greenwashing his actions and throwing us 'environmentalists' a small bone. Harper only cares about immediate economic gains for his industry buddies in oil and mining, cloaked in the banner of a strong economy for all Canadians. He does not care about climate change, endangered species or our health. He does not care that old school economics are the reason we are in this mess, and he is supporting more of the same crap. Harper has absolutely no idea how to create the sustainable, equitable economy that is necessary to return us from the brink of environmental, social and economic disaster.
For if Harper and much of the world continue on our current path, with the same fallacy of economic growth, not only will our environment suffer irreparable damage, but so will our economy. Harper, wake up...infinite growth is not possible on a finite planet, especially when the economy is based on non-renewable resources. Shifting to a sustainable economy is imperative, and Harper must go for that to happen, as he does not even understand the concept.
Harper's recent 2 hour visit to Tuktoyuktuk, NWT, is a prime example. Money for new roads and a port will only come with the Mackenzie valley natural gas pipeline. This is a very controversial project that many Canadians do not want. The natural gas from the Mackenzie pipeline, should it be built, is destined for two places...the Alberta tar sands to extract their dirty, energy intensive oil, and to the Americans to meet their insatiable addiction to oil. Of course this goes along with the Conservatives' intensity based greenhouse gas targets, which means that Canada's GHG emissions will continue to rise as our carbon based economy expands. Can Harper tell me what will happen when we run out of oil, which is very likely within the next 50 years? Why invest countless billions in a dying industry, when we could instead be world leaders in sustainable energy?
Another prime example is the 16 lakes that are destined to become toxic tailing ponds for mining companies. Yep, you can mine in Canada, and leave your toxic waste in one of our lakes...yet another example of industry externalizing their costs onto the environment and our health, rather than having to clean up their mess. And somehow this is allowed to happen under the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations of the Fisheries Act. Yeah, I heard somewhere that toxic mining tailings are good for fish! And yes, I know this is nothing new, but yet again Harper is demonstrating that he has no desire to implement the kinds of changes that Canadians want and the environment requires.
Yes, we need a whole new way of thinking in Ottawa, and I believe the only party that fit's the bill is the Green Party. As much as it pains me to say, there is no way the Greens will win the next election so, for this election only, I am committing to strategic voting to get the Conservatives out of office. At least the NDP and Liberals care about our environment, or so it seems, and less damage will happen until the Greens reach their full potential. And if by chance the Green Party does well in my riding, I will gladly give them my vote over the Liberals or NDP.
If you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. That's what Keeping Down with the Jones' is all about. So what can we do to make a difference?
- Consider the new ABCs of politics in Canada, and vote 'Anything But Conservative'. And if you're an American, please vote Obama!
- Send a letter to Ottawa telling them you don't want more lakes turned into toxic mining tailing ponds. You can do this easily online with the Council of Canadians' Action Alert:Freshwater lakes, not 'tailing impoundment areas'.
- Sign the petition Demand Democratic Debates, to include the Green Party in the next Leaders' debate.
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