Jessica Wilson: Stephen Harper goes to Copenhagen as climate enemy number one

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      It’s official: Stephen Harper’s going to Copenhagen. After months of noncommittal remarks and avoiding any declaration on emission reductions, Harper, realizing he was about to be left out of the big kids’ party, followed Barack Obama’s announcement with his own. But while Obama—even with his lacklustre greenhouse-gas reduction targets—will be a welcome face among the tens of thousands of attendees at the all-important United Nations climate-change summit, this won’t be a comfortable trip for Harper.

      The closer the Copenhagen talks get, the louder the cries of the international community become. Blaming Canada has become more than a joking mantra; it has become the battle cry of environmentalists, journalists, students, politicians, authors, and scientists around the world.

      They’re calling us names. They’re sick of our stunts. They don’t want our dirty oil, and they don’t want our vapid politics. Thanks to the tar sands, Canada has become climate enemy number one among industrialized countries, and most recently among the Commonwealth nations trying to oust Canada from its midst.

      The bad rap started shortly after Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol and then promptly spat in the face of the global community we’d just made promises to, rendering what should’ve been a binding treaty into little more than a scrap piece of paper. Instead of curbing our emissions since then like we promised to, they’ve skyrocketed by 34 percent above the Kyoto target for 2012. So it’s no wonder that governments around the world are skeptical of our intentions. They should be.

      The tar sands are quickly replacing the seal hunt in terms of the shock and horror they inspire on the international stage. And it’s scary to think how far both Harper and Iggy will go to protect their precious dirty oil. If they’ll put seal meat on the menu at Parliament to defend the seal hunt, what will they do to defend the honour of the tar sands? Offer bite-sized bitumen brownies to visiting dignitaries? Mandate that all government vehicles must run off the bituminous sludge? Perhaps Her Excellency Michaí«lle Jean can take a trip downstream from the tar sands to Fort Chipewyan and eat some cancerous fish with the locals. (See? It’s just an extra eye—not so bad!)

      On November 30, the Guardian published a brilliant if prickly article by acclaimed author and journalist George Monbiot, which bore the headline: “Canada’s image lies in tatters. It is now to climate what Japan is to whaling”. He goes on to say: “Canada is slipping down the development ladder....The price of this transition is the brutalisation of the country, and a government campaign against multilateralism as savage as any waged by George Bush.”

      Monbiot continues: “Until now I believed that the nation that has done most to sabotage a new climate change agreement was the United States. I was wrong. The real villain is Canada. Unless we can stop it, the harm done by Canada in December 2009 will outweigh a century of good works.”

      And how do we as Canadian citizens feel about this? Not good. A recent survey tells us that close to 65 percent of Canadians are embarrassed by our government’s inaction and dreading the inevitable fall-out of again being the bratty child at the table of grown-ups.

      So Harper will be there. But Greenpeace will, too. And each time he acts like that bratty child—each time he throws a tantrum, or crosses his arms and pouts, “I don’t wanna!”—we’ll remind him that he RSVPed to the grown-ups’ table, and it’s high time he acts like one.

      Jessica Wilson is a media and public relations officer for Greenpeace Canada.

      Comments

      46 Comments

      Susan Yurychuk

      Dec 4, 2009 at 11:14am

      I wish Mr. Harper would step up to the plate and be a leader of climate change. I am embarrassed to be Canadian these days.

      JE Miller

      Dec 4, 2009 at 11:34am

      I can't believe a Canadian would recommend this s--ff. In world terms, the percentage of pollution Canada produces is minimal.
      Obviously, this author reads history from a biased view. The politician who agreed to Kyoto and ignored it immediately is not the one being blamed. How soon we forget!

      matthew palomino

      Dec 4, 2009 at 11:48am

      you are a canadian trater everything you do uses oil from the oil sands, europe despite their hypocracy still uses our "dirty oil". canada's emissions are 2% 4.16% of that 2% is the oil sands. Stephen harper in his private meeting has been slamming leaders in europe for their part in blaming canada and with an unpatriotic populas willing to sell the country out its easy to do

      Judy Cross

      Dec 4, 2009 at 2:31pm

      Oh, poor Jessica. what a rude awakening when she realizes how she has been lied to and that she just wasted all that time pimping a fraud. Rex Murphy's synopsis of Climategate got picked up by The Australian and then by Prison Planet. Reluctant CBC, which has played Gore's movie at least 10x, made history last night.

      http://www.prisonplanet.com/climategate-cbc-on-the-greatest-scientific-s...

      Bridget Curran

      Dec 4, 2009 at 2:38pm

      Very well-written article. Love the crack about Michaí«lle Jean eating cancerous fish with the locals! Harper and his seal flesh-slurping cronies are an embarrassment to logical and forward-thinking Canadians. To matthew palomino - criticizing one's country's unacceptable behaviour does not make one a "traitor". It makes one a logical reasoning being exercising one's right to free thought and speech. You should try it sometime.

      beelzebub

      Dec 4, 2009 at 2:55pm

      Until places like China show some progress on the environment instead of lip service, I won't be inclined to be sympathetic to some of the initiatives we could undertake.

      stueysplace

      Dec 4, 2009 at 4:31pm

      Most Canadians are wimps. We just sit back and let governments do whatever they want. Even if it means selling out our reputation or natural resources; selling out our country.

      Clovis 1

      Dec 4, 2009 at 6:58pm

      I agree, Canadians should be embarrassed about Harpers position he is taking to Copenhagen.I suspect the Liberals are not overally concerned about this as well. I hope Harper gets challenged at the conference and shown for what he stands for, perhaps then we so called canadians will actually get more involved and demand responsible government.

      Stryder

      Dec 4, 2009 at 7:50pm

      There's no doubt Harper is a horses ass, but in reality I suppose we have the government we deserve, 52 percent of Canadians didn't even vote in the last election and half of the rest have got their heads buryed in the sand or should I say bitumen. We have to get off our asses and turf this unrepresentative dictator as soon as humanly possible.

      beelzebub

      Dec 4, 2009 at 8:53pm

      How much extra out of your own pocket are you willing to part with to get your "green" country? Forget the government of the day and all politics, and give me a number.