Climate Change - Enviromental Solutions Exist

I've worked as an industrial scientist and was dismayed during my association with the CPoC to discover that they are sciences deniers (climate change being just one example; I'm sure you can think of other examples - think stem cell research, to instantaneous creationism, to medical approaches to addictions. etc.) Stephen Harper is not alone in his denial of science; the attitude is systemic and broadly applied within the CPoC.

For the record: Below are several energy sources that combined would eliminate the need for burning fossil fuels.
1. geothermic
2. hydro power
3. wind power
4. solar power
5. tidal power
6. agriculture (off grade products only)

We can also convert the above to fuels for mobility – such as hydrogen – that can power an entire economy.

Those in the CPoC who say replacement solutions for fossil fuels don’t exist are simply ignorant of the possibilities. You don't know what you are talking about.

(c) 2006 Victoria BC

Steve Harper and Public Disgrace

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled 9-0 that the secretive security certificate program to detain terrorist suspects is unconstitutional. Stephen Harper’s demand that such measures continue, legally unbalanced by human rights protection, has been trounced by our Supreme Court. And, this week Stephen Harper’s own behaviour shows us why he is so wrong.

This week, Mr. Harper attempted to use parliamentary privilege to smear a member of parliament and his family in a disgraceful attempt to link an innocent man to terrorism. Concurrently, the Harper Tories have been airing attack ads against Ralph Goodale, alleging connections to crime even though the RCMP has completely cleared him of any wrong doing. And lest we forget, it was Harper who made outrageous allegations that Paul Martin supports child pornography. And further, it was Harper Tories who used parliamentary privilege to also smear and disgrace the innocent Mahr Arar - while the man was being tortured in a foreign country.

In public, Harper Tories have attacked the innocent. But its for the sake of the innocent, we require our laws to be balanced; to protect us against abuses like what we have publicly seen from Harper Tories. Further, secretive security measures are dangerous - especially in the hands of those who will so freely attack the innocent in public. And without constitutional protections, we are vulnerable to the private abuses of the capricious.

Rightly, the Supreme Court resoundingly ruled against security certificates. And, we should all take note of the public behaviour of those who have been, up to this date, unwilling to apply balance to such dangerous legal perspectives. Those who will say anything in public should be feared for what they may do in private.

(c) 2006 Victoria BC

Harper cannot do math and politics at the same time

The Liberals had 13 years and didn’t get it done; so says Stephen Harper as he defends his own environmental record. But his math is as non-existent as his environment record.

The Kyoto accord was ratified in Canada in December 2002. The agreement became an international agreement on February 16, 2005. That means, the worldwide strategy for tackling climate change was in affect for just one (1) year while the Liberals were in power – not thirteen years. In truth the record is: the Liberals championed the cause of global environment action and did get that first step done through a global treaty on climate change.

In contrast, Stephen Harper’s record has been to fight global action on climate change while in opposition, then when in power his government removed Liberal environment programs from within Canada, which he is now re-offering under different names as future maybe-will-do-after-the-next budget plans. Just this past week Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, "No government in the world is going to jeopardize its short-term economic prosperity for the sake of long-term environmental action." The PM ought to know, however, the responsible position is that long-term environmental solutions, on issues like climate change, require both international and domestic action to begin in the very near-term (as the Liberals began through the Kyoto treaty and environment programs at home).

Now is the time to stop uncritically repeating the prime ministers misrepresentations of the record. Conditions in our environment necessitate leadership and action – not prime ministerial speeches loaded with evasive rhetorical decoys justifying inaction today because he thinks environmental issues are tomorrow’s problems.

(c) 2006 Victoria BC