Canadian Election Update: Nothing to Report
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10. 2.08
Canadian party leaders look ready for a game of poker rather than a debate.
What idiot scheduled the big Canadian leader debate on the same night as the American VP showdown? Who wants to watch five Canadian party leaders all say pretty much the same thing when you can watch the Thrilla from Wazilla? The Canadian election is so boring in comparison. Incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper has done a remarkable job in keeping his radical base covered in duct tape and has been kissing babies instead of eating them. Until he pandered to his base by cutting arts funding last week he had the artsy urban green lefties on the run.
Stephane Dion has the greenshift platform that every environmentalist should love, but the American economic crash and its reverberations in Canada are making him backtrack fast. He also can't explain it, so people are deserting the party in droves.
The New Democratic Party was for years the natural home of green voters, but as Richard Littlemore writes in Desmogblog:
"Canada's New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton continues to opt for cheap partisan opportunism over sound environmental policy - most recently decrying the British Columbia carbon tax as "unfair for ordinary working families" and tying it to Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper.
There was a time when the NDP had real credibility as Canada's most environmentally conscious party - a position that they have given over, apparently in equal parts, to the Green party and to Stephane Dion's Liberals. "
Elizabeth May and the Green Party are working hard, but when you have the Liberals with their Greenshift platform, do you throw your vote to a new small party with no chance? Liberals have ruled this country for most of its existence, they are really green, what do you do?
Fortunately there is a terrific resource to help Canadians out. We don't vote for the party leader, but for our local Member of Parliament; whoever gets the most seats wins. Kevin Grandia, one of the guys behind DeSmogBlog, set up Vote For Environment to look at each riding and make recommendations for which candidate has both the best environmental record and the best chance of winning, across party lines. He writes
"We believe that the Harper Government’s collusion with the Bush White House to obstruct progress on climate change at recent international summits does not reflect how Canadians want their leaders to behave on the world stage. The Harper and the Conservative Party are simply not in step with what scientists say is needed, with Canadians' concerns, and with economic benefits of dealing with climate change.
All the other major Parties have programs that seriously address our critical climate concerns and are talking about them in this election.
If those of us who care about the environment don’t work together across party lines, the pro-environment vote will be split as it was in the last election and Harper will be re-elected. "
In other words, vote to win for the environment. Great resource for Canadians in doubt at ::Vote for the Environment
More on the Canadian Election:
Canadian Election Update: Economy Trumps Environment
Canadian Election Called for October 14
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Canadian Political Crisis Ends, Not With A Bang But a Whimper
- So Long 2008, and Thanks for All the Posts
- The Seven Most Un-TreeHugger Products of 2008
- Canada In12'th Place On Wind Power Capacity
I have to say, I don't completely disagree with Layton's opinion on the BC carbon tax. Not that I think it shouldn't be here- it's mainly the inequities of those that do NOT have to pay it. Any ships (including cruise ships), aircraft, or vehicles in B.C. that are bound for any location outside of the province are exempt from the tax. Here is an article that outlines the issue: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/columnists/story.html?id=a1f4b3f0-6448-4e62-a437-cfb1335df49a
It's also interesting the author's note regarding the 100 mile diet - local produce has to pay a carbon tax for transportation, but a truck driving up here all the way from California gets off scott-free.
I like the idea of the carbon tax - I just wish that it were applied in a manner that didn't allow big polluters to dodge
Harper is no better than Bush. He's called this election to beat out the U.S. election so it doesn't effect him. It also avoids the other parties candidates sufficient time to build a proper campaign. He avoids the urban city centers.
Of course the Canadian leader debate is the same night as the U.S. VP debate!!! No one will be watching and therefore the other parties leaders who have anything valid to say during this debate will go unheard. I'm sure next to all of the Canadian media coverage tomorrow will be focused on the VP debate discussion. Harper style is the same as the Republican low tactics, and it will win him his campaign and his greed, to the future detriment of Canada and it's citizens.
Are you people kidding me this vote for the enviroment assumes that you would be left wing in every other way as well. I am a fiscal conservative and a social moderate, and environmentally passionate.
Voting for the liberals because they are green is crazy Dion is a incompetant leader if he could lead his party I wouldn't have sucha big problem leading the country, and Layton has shown that he has bad judgement/indifference when it comes to his representatives.
Reps who skinny dip in front of teenagers, flaunt current laws because they don't agree with them sets a bad example. Imagine what would happen if the people started simply ignoring laws they didn't agree with. We would have chaos.
Voting for those reps because they have one part of the equation right is narrowminded, and dangerous. Change your party and then vote your conscience.
Plus with a monirity government Harper has to do what is popular or gets booted, and if he doesn't get booted that is the oppostitions fault.
The website "Vote for the Environment" was designed by (mostly Liberals and a few New Democrats) to encourage people to vote strategically - and everyone bought it.
The site is (co) run by Kevin Grandia who used to be a staffer for Gordon Campbell (B.C. Liberal Premier) in a rather high capacity. He also worked for BC Liberal MPP Gordon Chan.
From his bio: “having served as an advisor in the areas of health care, Canadian heritage and Asia-Pacific trade. Kevin’s areas of expertise include opposition research, government relations, crisis communications and media relations.”
The Liberals and NDP tried to make made Stephen Harper look like a fanatical dictator and never brought up the idea of proportional representation.
There are many ideas in this country and it's time we started taking ALL of them into consideration. It's time for PR.