Conservative "Green Plan" Full of Hot Air

I could have written this post before the release of the new Clean Air bill introduced by Minister of Environment Rona Ambrose.

For a clue as to how things might turn out, one need only remember that Ambrose once worked for Ralph Klein helping shape policy with respect to the oil and gas sector in Alberta. We all know how “green” that sector is in Alberta.

The bill gives energy producers a pass by employing “intensity targets” (which won’t be developed for over a decade anyway). These simply mean that if you produce more oil and gas, you get to produce more green house gas emissions.

Introduced with the bill is the concept of equivalency agreements, a mechanism which proposes to allow provinces to “opt out” of certain federal requirements. Talk about taking the teeth out of any measures which might get rolled out, not to mention setting the stage for endless constitutional challenges.

It looks like the act was intentionally designed to weaken the federal government’s ability to impose a uniform approach, at a time when such leadership is required. Chopping the legs out from under the federal government is an approach consistent with the Harper governments extreme ideological leanings.

In addition this new act is all about delay. Consider that:

• no new regulated targets for any sector until at least 2010
• new rules for fuel efficiency won’t be developed until 2010
• large emitters of pollutants and green house gasses (GHG) can look forward to more than a decade (until 2020) of stalling before any substantive regulation is even proposed much less passed

In addition the proposed legislation creates a weakening of components of the existing Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

This bill is a bill which Stephen Harper never wanted to introduce. For years he has, with the energy industry’s enthusiastic support, fought against Kyoto. For years many Conservative and former Alliance and former Reform Party MP’s called Kyoto the “result of junk science”, claiming also the accord is some fantastical world wide effort by poor countries to penalize the rich. The ideological underpinning of hatred for all things related to climate change goes very deep.

Imagine then as Harper comes to power at the tipping point in public opinion, where the substantial science that supports the seriousness of the global warming issue has finally registered indelibly upon the public psyche, not only in this country but around the world.

The energy industry has a different view of things. Dr. Jim Buckee, CEO of Calgary’s Talisman Energy – one of the largest Canadian international oil and gas companies – has always disputed global warming science, frequently preaching on to employees (I received his emails while working there).

The global-warming movement is trying to make the facts a dead issue, because their case collapses as soon as you illuminate the theory’s dodgy science. Jim Buckee, c. 1997

On a personal level, I remain skeptical of the science related to the impact of CO2 on the climate… It may well be that, as understanding of the science evolves, the role of anthropogenic CO2 in affecting climate will be seen to be little or nothing.Jim Buckee, CEO Talisman Energy, commenting in the company’s 2005 “Corporate Responsibility Report”

Mr. Buckee isn’t the only oil industry leader suffering from climate change denial. Former CEO of EnCana Corp. Gwyn Morgan, said of the Kyoto Protocol agreement:

It is my earnest submission that signing the Kyoto Protocol would go down in history as one of the most damaging international agreements ever signed by a Canadian Prime Minister.”Gwyn Morgan, former CEO EnCana Corp

Morgan, a key supporter of high profile Conservative’s including Stephen Harper and others in his cabinet, frequently uses the industry’s standard rhetoric and tactics – attack the science, don’t talk about the facts – calling the threat of global warming “sound-bite junk science precipitating ill-informed public opinion”.

Stephen Harper tried to appoint Morgan to the head of the powerful House of Commons appointments committee; opposition parties soundly rejected that notion and for good reason.

Pushed into a corner by dawning reality and public opinion, not be an honest desire to do good, Harper had Ambrose developed a plan that the Conservative government could try to sell to Canadians as being meaningful, while at the same time sell the same plan to industry as being meaningless, as it certainly is.

I was upset with the pace of action under Chretien’s watch; and never expected any results under Martin’s watch. Harper is at least living up to expectations and setting Canada on a path which leads backwards, introduces challenges to the federal government’s ability to regulate in this key area, and simply makes the power imbalance between producer provinces and Ottawa worse.

That’s nothing to be proud of.

A Chilling Effect on Public Discourse, Democracy

Canaries in Coal Mines?
British Columbians are no strangers to political parties bouncing voices of conscience out of caucus. We’ve seen this before.

In 2002 former B.C. Liberal MLA Paul Nettleton was expelled from the party caucus after he made public his concerns that the ideologically conservative Campbell government had secret plans to sell B.C. Hydro.

Since then we have indeed seen the balkanization and selling off of chunks of B.C. Hydro, and, right now, there are a number of battles going on over the control of our vast, public, water and water-derived power resources. (See Ashlu River Info, and news on Kitimat’s fight with Alcan)

In fact, Gordon Campbell’s government has taken hypocrisy to new levels with his unprecedented attack on democracy this fall, as he declared there would be no fall sitting of the legislature. The spin from government was that there was nothing to do. The reality is that Campbell is violating his own promise to operate a more open and accountable government, tearfully delivered when he was first sworn in as Premier. Crocodile tears.

Now Garth Turner has been pushed out of of the federal Conservative caucus, and word is there’ll be no return of the prodigal son. In August Turner successfully fought off an organized attempt by others to take the nomination for his riding. Was his ejection from caucus done to pave the way for a Charles McVety-approved candidate? Or was the timing more to do with today’s expected announcement from the Minister of Environment, Rona “I’ll do Industry’s Bidding” Ambrose?

Among many policy areas, the environment and global climate change were hot topics for Garth Turner, and on these issues his opinion are clearly against the Conservative caucus tide.

Perhaps Mr. Turner’s expulsion is like one more dead canary – a sign of toxic things to come.

Party discipline is well and good, but in applying the concept, it cannot be taken so far as to stifle all public debate. Canadians are not of a uniform mind on any subject of importance, and certainly Conservatives are not either. Expelling members for speaking their mind on issues of the day sends a chilling signal to parliamentarians at all levels: shut up or you’ll be buried alive.

Speak your mind, get politically killed. Opposition getting effective? Want to drive an unpopular agenda? Shut down parliamentary proceedings to avoid messy debate and disclosure.

In this environment, how is democracy to flourish?