It’s amazing what a little bad weather and a by-election can accomplish. In November, a major rainstorm in Vancouver contaminated water reservoirs and forced a million residents to deal with a 12-day boil water advisory (never mind the fact that BWA’s are a sad fact of life in dozens of native communities across Canada). Then, just a day after the Vancouver BWA was lifted, Green Party leader Elizabeth May posted a stunning second place finish in the London North Centre by-election. While the actual voter turnout in that election was disappointing, May took 25% of the votes, clobbering both the Conservative and NDP candidates. She didn’t win, but she decisively proved the Green Party is now a political force to be reckoned with. As May observed "we have just witnessed… the beginning of a major shift in Canadian politics. Canada is going Green." She — and many others — expect to see at least one GP member in the House after the next federal election.
This renewed focus on the Greens and green politics has the major party leaders falling all over each other to see who can jump highest on the environmental trampoline. With his greenest good intentions, Stephan Dion can at least say he actually sorta did something when the Liberals signed the Kyoto Accord while he was Chretien’s Environment Minister. Unfortunately, as we all know, the Libs never backed up that signature with meaningful action. A few days ago, Jack Layton graciously offered to work together with the other leaders to rewrite Harper’s failed Green Plan, although a mere 6 weeks ago, he was all set to force a confidence vote over the issue. Yesterday Harper told the Canadian Press that the environment issue is now his "top priority". "
Wouldn’t it be grand if the major parties did sit down and formulate a comprehensive set of tax changes and regulations that would drastically reduce greenhouse gases and emissions? I expect it would look something like the Green Party’s GP2 Green Plan. Elizabeth May has stated in the past that the Greens would be happy to support any political party that could enact such a plan. It would be a fine thing, but it is hard to be optimistic because for Harper, Dion and Layton, the environment is merely an issue, a portfolio, a file. It is something that must simply be handled for political survival and electoral gain.
For the Greens, however, the environment is everything. It’s fundamental and determines the kind of economy and the level of health that is actually possible.
That’s why I’m voting for Green in the next election.
As the population increases, fueled by the import of a half million human life forms per annum, the quality of life inevitably declines. All issues relevant to the intelligent management of the air and the water must necessarily assume a higher priority, irrespective of which cabal is calling the shots in Ottawa.
The disgusting alternative is to hasten the transformation of your ‘great white north’ into another of the planet’s vast environmental shitholes.
As far as I can tell, none of the major parties — including the Greens — have factored immigration into their environment plans. Putting a damper on immigration does not play well in a country that is teeming immigrants, many of whom still have family desperately trying to get here. A tricky problem. But Canada seems to be on the verge of exceeding the carrying capacity of the land, so why stress it even more? So, you are absolutely right. But I also think it is in everyone’s interest for countries such as Canada to link lower immigration quotas with comprehensive fair trade and labour law treaties. Also tricky, but necessary.