Liz White: It’s not the economy, stupid. It’s ethical government in Canada

The Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada campaigns to elect candidates who will fight for effective animal and environmental protection policies. In this election, however, our candidates are campaigning for something more fundamental to the Canadian way of life: a government that respects the rule of law, the principles of democracy, and the values of most Canadians. Little progress can be made on protecting the environment and animals, or on other issues that worry most Canadians, if our country is run by a prime minister and members of Parliament who rule by deceit, lawlessness, vendetta, favouritism, election rigging, and contempt of Parliament.

Among the world’s wealthy nations, Canada has one of the worst environmental and animal protection records. For Stephen Harper and his Conservatives, however, that’s not good enough. Harper is striving to be dead last. And even that, it seems, isn’t his ultimate goal. He is reducing the scope and effectiveness of the few, mostly ineffective animal and environmental protections that Canada still has, and he’s trying to undermine the environmental and animal protection policies of other nations.

Globally, Harper is sabotaging efforts to protect us from the most dangerous environmental threat humankind has ever faced—climate change. In Europe, Harper is spending over $10 million on a World Trade Organization challenge to force European countries to trade in the cruel and bloody spoils of the largest authorized marine mammal slaughter in the world: Canada’s money losing, environmentally destructive, commercial seal hunt. In Ottawa, Harper named former journalist Peter Kent his environment minister. Kent’s first act as environment minister had nothing to do with protecting the environment. He appeared on CBC Television’s Power and Politics to shill for oil from Alberta’s greenhouse gas spewing tar sands.

AAEV has worked on animal and environmental protection issues with most political parties. While fielding its own candidates, AAEV has also actively supported and opposed candidates of other parties. What’s important to AAEV is not party affiliation, but policies. Most parties have a mixed record on environmental and animal protection. What’s important politically is that on election day voters reward parties with good records protecting animals and the environment and punish those with bad ones.

Until now, all of our political partners and opponents have shared a fundamental value: a belief in ethical government that serves the interests of all their constituents; government founded on the rule of law; on openness and transparency; on reaching consensus between political friend and foe; on making our cities, provinces, and country better places for everyone. The exception is the Harper government.

Harper aides, advisors, Conservative party colleagues, and senators have been charged with offences or are under active investigation by the RCMP. Harper senators and fundraisers are charged with breaking Canada’s election laws. Critics of the Harper government’s treatment of veterans have had their personal, confidential medical records illegally accessed and distributed, and used in vendettas against them. The Harper government has been found guilty by the Speaker of the House of Commons of misleading Parliament about the costs of multi-billion dollar fighter jets and jails.

The issue in this election is not the economy or criminals or taxes, as Harper is trying to scare Canadians into wrongly believing. The issue in this election—the issue AAEV candidates are talking to voters about—is Stephen Harper’s and the Conservatives’ morals. To solve any issue, we need to first elect ethical politicians.

Liz White is the leader of the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada.

Comments

21 Comments

Ed Currant

Apr 15, 2011 at 5:22pm

If you think the other parties wouldn't rule by deceit, lawlessness, vendetta, favouritism, election rigging, and contempt of Parliament, then you only see what you want to see. Even if the human species didn't exist the climate would be changing in pretty much the same fashion as it is now. Study the history of the planet, think for yourself, and that will become readily apparent.

hauseye

Apr 15, 2011 at 7:48pm

Ethical? and the libs & ndp are much more so ethical? Get off it Liz, what a bs write up.

Swift Current

Apr 15, 2011 at 7:52pm

So you are saying 500 million cars, boats, buses, planes etc etc etc bear zero responsibility in the equation ????? Fraser Institute guy are you?

And yes,the other parties would rule the same way......

Doc Denman

Apr 15, 2011 at 8:09pm

The Liberals and all the other parties are even worse. They are sneaky, play the same games and are just pointing fingers at Harper to keep the heat off of themselves. Take off your rose coloured glasses and see the truth. Canadians need a strong government, not one that will knuckle under to every whining special interest group out there. Have you forgotten the way the Liberals have worked over Canada in the past? The Bloc only runs candidates in Quebec, the Green party and their flakey wants to throw more money at the CBC which, if you read public opinion, should be sold off and not receive any public money any more and the NDP will not likely ever run a government because of the way they have messed up in Ontario in the past.

Pawel

Apr 16, 2011 at 1:48am

Here are some obvious questions...

Do we need more honest government? Yes.
Do we need stronger environmental protection laws? Yes.
Do we need a government that would work for the Canadian people instead of the large corporations? Yes.
Are we likely to get that from any of our official parties? Most likely not.

One issue I'd like to raise here has to do with the misconceptions about the global warming and carbon dioxide, as these issues seem to play an ever-increasing role in the politics of many countries now.

- It has been shown that our planet has been much warmer in the past then it is today. That's why Greenland is called Greenland, despite the fact that most of it is covered by snow and ice today, allowing the Vikings to grow farming crops over a thousand years ago, something that's impossible today.

- The much deviled carbon dioxide gas is not an environmental toxin, as some claim. It is what plants breath - giving us oxygen in return - and the more carbon dioxide they get, the better they grow.

- It has been shown that carbon dioxide levels rise following a rise in global temperatures, and that they fall following the lowering of global temperatures - not the other way around.

- All other planets in our solar system have their average temperatures raising as well - due to the increased solar activity.

- It might be worth remembering that many of the same experts who profess global warming today are the same ones who professed global cooling in the 1970s.

Instead of blaming global warming on carbon dioxide, perhaps we should be looking at the real threats and issues facing our society today - our dependence on foreign oil, the politics of global warming and carbon dioxide, our insane medical system, our equally insane farming practices, etc, etc. Perhaps then we can figure out what kind of politicians should be running our country.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/cover031307.htm

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2009/05/30/la...

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=22663

"Global warming doomsday called off"
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3309910462407994295#

"A new approach to health"
http://vimeo.com/17613584

"Dirt"
http://vimeo.com/17797689

RonS

Apr 16, 2011 at 8:17am

Doc how can any of the other parties be worse? Harper already occupies the bottom! On the environment he is a disaster. If it isn't in the bible then, in Harpers opinion, it doesn't exist. I haven't seen a poll financed by the right wing that says we, the people of Canada should own anything. So, we just hand everything over to the corporations? Ha! What a disaster that would be and is currently proving to be..

Taxpayers R Us

Apr 16, 2011 at 9:25am

Ahh yes...if we want ethics, we'll vote for tree-hugging animal rights protesters.

What were we THINKING all these years? lol

Steve Y

Apr 16, 2011 at 9:44am

Well I agree the seal hunt is a pretty stupid waste of money and effort. Better for Canada if we end it. The Liberals had plenty of opportunity over the past 20 years to do so. They also had plenty of opportunity to change the ethics of politics. They did not do so. However, I have a "vote the bums out" strategy and my guy happens to be a conservative so i'm voting against him and for (the first time in my life) and NDPer.

Action for the Protection of Northern Animals

Apr 16, 2011 at 10:43am

To those who just wish to complain and remain complacent go to this link. Born and raised in Ottawa I know first hand of the political frenzy and witnessed P.M.s come and go, it is not the Environmentalists and those who fight for those who cannot speak for themselves that wear rose colored glasses.
Everything about our industrialized nation screams Environment destruction, the AAEV addresses the issues the majority who have held seats fail to do, Canada's dismal record stands and is criticized worldwide. Either you want your children to inherit what we do have left or you do not.

This link is provided for information purposes only, each Canadian citizen will decide on their own candidate to vote for. Do you really approve of the Conservative Party storming into the University of Guelph???? See below...

http://petition.liberal.ca/stop-harper/

glen p robbins

Apr 16, 2011 at 11:59am

I agree that generally speaking the Ethical Deficit in this country - where I live in British Columbia is deep - and dark. On all accounts - ethics is the area we need a growth strategy from business to all areas of education.

I would like to see an entire department at Simon Fraser University devoted to ethics - drawing on other departments and not just the obvious ones like social science - but the business and economics departments -- seeking out candidate students who properly comprised to meet the rigour required to make a success of this-----------------let the Philosophy department spearhead it --- thanks Carole--Andrew