Environmental groups slam Stephen Harper’s platform over climate change and tar sands

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      Western Canadian environmental groups have criticized the Conservative campaign platform for falling short on key issues like climate change and the oilsands.

      B.C. Sustainable Energy Association president Guy Dauncey said he was appalled the Conservatives made only a one-year commitment to extending a popular home-retrofit program.

      Dauncey said the ecoEnergy Retrofit program helps create green jobs, reduce energy prices, and contributes to greenhouse-gas reductions.

      “This now is telling me they have absolutely zero commitment to this program. They’re going to cancel it as soon as one year is over,” he told the Straight by phone.

      Dauncey also criticized Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government for providing tax breaks and subsidies to the oil and gas industry, saying that support should be eliminated.

      “They’re subsidizing the past instead of the future,” he said. “It’s showing a complete disregard for our children, for the future of Canada, for where we’re going, and it’s investing in the old technologies that we need to phase out.”

      Greenpeace Canada’s B.C. director Stephanie Goodwin said the Conservative platform is silent on the issue of oil tankers in B.C. coastal waters.

      “The other parties are dealing with it. It just means that the Harper government is relatively out of touch with what’s important to British Columbians,” Goodwin told the Straight by phone.

      Goodwin criticized a promise aimed at cutting bureaucratic red tape that would see an existing government regulation eliminated for every new one proposed.

      “We don’t believe that’s going to end up becoming a real winner for the environment in the end, having that kind of blanket rule,” she said.

      “Simply having a one-for-one rule really is a cookie-cutter approach for a country that is much too large for a cookie-cutter rule.”

      The Pembina Institute criticized the platform over renewable energy, climate change, oilsands development, and sustainable transportation.

      “When we think of what’s important to get Canada on the path to a clean energy future we think there’s really significant gaps in the Conservative platform,” said the organization’s executive director, Ed Whittingham.

      Whittingham argued the platform falls short on addressing climate change.

      “On climate change I think we’re missing what should be the key plank to any climate-change platform and that is some commitment to carbon pricing, whether it be through a carbon tax or whether it be through cap and trade,” he told the Straight by phone.

      Whittingham said the platform ignores the Alberta oilsands, saying there is need for a commitment to address the speed and scale of development.

      “When you look at the production projections, really, it’s hard to imagine us improving environmental management in the area while allowing that degree of increasing growth,” he said.

      Released April 8, the Conservative platform touts government actions to address climate change and protect the environment.

      It highlights investment in research on clean energy, work with the United States to tackle climate change, and a goal to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 17 percent from levels seen in 2005 by 2020.

      The Conservatives also commit to supporting “economically viable” clean-energy projects that help provinces and other regions move away from the use of fossil fuels, according to the platform.

      Comments

      8 Comments

      jmw

      Apr 9, 2011 at 10:33am

      What I would like to see clearly exposed from these "environmental groups" is the link they have with foreign money. Many millions of dollars flow in from the United States from U.S. oligarchies to groups such as Sierra Club Canada, Tides Canada, Dogwood Initiative, Aboriginal Rights, World Wildlife Federation, and Greenpeace (the list is staggering) The purpose is to influence Canadian policies and keep us captive to the U.S. market I think it is wrong and currently we have no legislation to stop it. Canadians should discuss and set our own resource policies without interference from foreign influence. The carbon taxes will be used to benefit everyone BUT us. Wake up Canadians!

      Joseph Fournier

      Apr 9, 2011 at 1:54pm

      It is all too easy pointing fingers. I am for green energy and clean tech, I even spent 11 year in university getting a Ph.D. in alternative energy technology. These critiques forget the reality of our energy crisis. >80M barrels of oil per day - billions of tonnes of coal per year - trillions of cf of natural gas per year etc.
      It is not one or the other. The truth is we need all forms of energy and all forms of energy must become more efficient and sustainable. This is an issue requiring decades of effort and investment. Critics need to focus on providing exposure for those who are making a difference so the public can invest in these emergying business opportunities.

      Terry J. Nanaimo

      Apr 9, 2011 at 2:21pm

      Canada is on its way to Republican-style gov't. ... in 3 weeks.

      Green ideals are important. Green pragmatism is most important.

      Keep Harper's Republican values out of Ottawa.

      Don't vote-split.

      Judy Cross

      Apr 9, 2011 at 2:28pm

      David Evans, Climate Modeler for the Australian Government said recently at a rally against a carbon tax:
      "Even if we stopped emitting all carbon dioxide tomorrow, completely shut up shop and went back to the Stone Age, according to the official government climate models it would be cooler in 2050 by about 0.015 degrees. But their models exaggerate 10-fold -in fact our sacrifices would make the planet in 2050 a mere 0.0015 degrees cooler!"
      http://www.financialpost.com/news/Climate+models+cold/4579652/story.html

      Rolf_Auer

      Apr 10, 2011 at 12:12am

      Harper et al. have always been climate-change deniers. They were the ones to nix Kyoto.

      @Rolf_Auer

      krystal

      Apr 20, 2011 at 9:06am

      Even if we stopped emitting all carbon dioxide tomorrow, completely shut up shop and went back to the Stone Age, according to the official government climate models it would be cooler in 2050 by about 0.015 degrees. But their models exaggerate 10-fold -in fact our sacrifices would make the planet in 2050 a mere 0.0015 degrees cooler!"

      Michael Lareda

      Jul 21, 2011 at 4:25pm

      Everyone who thinks Harper is doing anything even remotely good for the environment can G-E-T L-O-S-T. GET LOST.