Here's why Stephen Harper visited Science World in Vancouver

by Charlie Smith on November 26th, 2011 at 10:10 AM

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper drops by Vancouver every once in while just to show he cares about us. Right?

Well, not exactly. Sometimes, there's a bigger agenda at play.

This prime minister has a problem with well-educated urban voters because his government has consistently demonstrated that it's not interested in what scientists are saying.

Exhibit one: UVic professor Andrew Weaver has pointed out that Harper has muzzled climate scientists.

Exhibit two: Vancouver AIDS expert Julio Montaner has slammed Harper for his refusal to listen to the scientific evidence around containing the spread of HIV. This has been echoed by supporters of the supervised-injection facility known as Insite when Harper has visited Vancouver.

Exhibit three: In the past, B.C. scientists have also condemned comments by Harper's minister of state for science and technology, Gary Goodyear, for refusing to say whether he believes in evolution. Goodyear, a chiropractor, later backtracked from that position.

Exhibit four: The Harper government has consistently escalated its war on drugs, despite what scientists are saying.

Exhibit five: Guess who killed the long-form census? None other than Harper.

Harper's contempt for science has given the federal Liberals an opportunity to rebuild by advancing evidence-based policies. In an interview with the Straight in July, Liberal Leader Bob Rae talked about the importance of promoting measures that are supported by good research.

So what's Harper's response? Rather than actually listening to scientists, he visits Science World for a photo-op.

It's designed to trick the public into thinking that Harper actually cares about science. But he also knows that his party might have won Vancouver-Quadra and Burnaby-Douglas—home to UBC's main campus and SFU's main campus, respectively—had he not been so hostile to science. This little show-and-tell event in Vancouver was created by his spin doctors to achieve a different result in the next campaign.

Harper really doesn't give a hoot what scientists have to say. The proof is in his eagerness to muzzle climate researchers, his government's attack on Vancouver's supervised-injection site, and his decision to escalate the war on drugs.

If there's any doubt at all, just listen to what he said yesterday in Vancouver. He won't back down in his crusade against marijuana growers and he won't ban shark-fin soup, even though certain species may go extinct.

Harper hasn't changed much. He's still the same dullard who was once the policy chief for the Reform Party of Canada.

Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.

Comments

45 Comments

Pat

Nov 26, 2011 at 1:21pm

Ironic that a prime minister who doesn't believe in science chooses to do his photo-op at Science World.

bertie

Nov 26, 2011 at 2:42pm

Only fools and people who think they can control the weather make comments like Charlie does.Living in Vancouver with the hippies doesn,t help ones brain either..The fools out there actually pay a Carbon Tax.Thank god we have someone leading the country who cannot be swayed by idiots and carbon tax payers.You want to live in a cave and ride a bike Charlie,do it yourself and don,t drag anyone else down your idiotic path.Anyone with a brain or any kind of education knows that humans cannot possibly control the weather.Come back in 100 years Charlie and nothing will have changed,but the 7 billion people who are here now will be gone.

Ed Taylor

Nov 26, 2011 at 3:13pm

When you say "scientists", is that a code word for "left wing, goo to you, mud to man, the world is ending unless we stop driving our cars or put a tax of $2 a litre while the rest of the world carries on scientists"? Just asking.

My Opinion

Nov 26, 2011 at 3:21pm

My, my, my. It's obvious you believe every leftist "scientist", but not right-wing ones. There is no consensus on climate change. Almost everyday, new evidence questions what is widely believed by indoctrinated environmentalists. As for Insite, well I don't believe that saving one or two lives (which would probably be saved in other ways) is worth spending millions of taxpayers money. Why not use the money for rehabilitation, unless you believe that being stoned all the time is acceptable. As for well-educated urbanites, they're not all leftist. Didn't the Conservatives take a big chunk of Toronto in the last election? Get out of your little world sometimes and look around. There are plenty of well-educated people who disagree with you. We just prefer to get the facts first and not live by just our emotions.

FREE

Nov 26, 2011 at 3:38pm

What a bunch of BS, nothing surprising from the leftiest paper on the great wet coast.

Go look at the interweby thing and find out about the criminal scam called GLOW-BULL WARMING

Anne Streeter

Nov 26, 2011 at 3:43pm

Harper is so pathetically embarrassing!!

JoeFrmEdm

Nov 26, 2011 at 4:05pm

Komarade Smith your Lieberals Lost suck it up for another 4 Years or More...

You

Nov 26, 2011 at 4:10pm

Whether you believe in global warming or not, you're an idiot if you think the pollution isn't harming your health.

HarryMaughler

Nov 26, 2011 at 4:11pm

Geological evidence points to a globally warm climate prior to the ice age. Then with the ice age the climate became much colder towards the greater northern and southern latitudes, producing ice caps at the poles. (funny how polar bears survived all this). Increased co2 in the atmosphere will simply make trees grow faster as they soak up the co2, as will a warmer climate! All this fuss about climate change is much ado about nothing. Climate change, including global warming and cooling has happened repeatedly to greater and lesser degrees (pun intended) throughout history. Let's adjust and spend our money, not to buy carbon offset credits, but to improve the health of others around the world.