In response to an article in the UK Guardian Canada's image lies in tatters by George Monbiot, our own little Jimmy of the Tarsands, weighed in with a rebuttal.
The title alone Canada doesn't deserve this criticism of its green record, warned us that it was going to be a work of fiction, and Jimmy didn't disappoint. And if this is the kind of nonsense he's going to spew in Copenhagen, he should just stay home.
But judging by most of the comments at the end, he didn't fool anyone in the UK or at home. Lies, lies and more lies.
1. Liar. Who is responsible for the long-term maintenance of the leaky earthen dams that hold back the poisoned waters of the Alberta tailings? Who is responsible for the health impacts on first nations?
Please remind us all of your colleague Stockwell Day's views on the Flintstones - I recall he believes it to be a factual documentary. You people can't be trusted to conserve the natural environment, as you are fundamental Dominionists, regarding the natural world as yours to destroy for profit - profit for the few, of course. I wish Canada had an effective opposition to remove you and your fundamentalist corporatist moron chums from power.
2. Yes. Liar. The principled people had left the Canadian Tory party by the end of the 90s. This is what they left behind.
3. Balls. We deserve to be castigated as spineless bastards. Canada 2.0 no longer resembles what we were known for in the past. We shifted right in the late '90s. The shift has kept going, and there's no going back. Unfortunately.
4. Jim Prentice reminds me of those goodwill ambassadors the Chinese like to use to get out their propaganda. The types that tow the party line in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He even has the plastic smile.
The smokescreen he puts up is typical of the Harper Tories. They relentlessly pursue their energy agenda and flout international standards while paying lip service to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Canada's record is abyssmal when compared with the 29 other members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. In fact the energy intensity of Canadian production is one of the highest, not just among OECD members, but worldwide. One reason being the continued use of old and inefficient technologies.
The criticism of Canada's record by George Monbiot are long overdue. For Jim Prentice to call his criticisms "scurrilous" just goes to show how mired some Canadians are in the trough of denial.
5. S.H.A.M.E. stands for Stephen Harper and My Environment. There is a clear disconnect between canadien citizens and the 'petrolium party', alias conservatives. Canadians are genenerally aware of climate change and enviromental issues and want action. We deserve better than 'environmental holligans'! My hope ... if the climate can change, so can the government ... We are fortunate that some leaders, like Quebec, are taking action...We'll see however how we deal with the gaz issue in the St.Lawrence Estuary....
6. I know it seems like Canada is being criticised, but bear in mind only 38% of Canadians put the Conservatives in power.
No, it is not Canadians who are facing criticism - or if they are it is in the absence of understanding that a smallish minority elects the government - it is YOU , Jim Prentice, you and Harper. Most Canadians are appalled by you. Most of the world is.
You and a smallish minority - 62% rejected you at the polls - are the ones really getting criticism and you deserve it.
7. Jean Charest, premier of Quebec, Canada*s second largest province has stated(Dec /09) that waiting for the most industrialized countries e.g P.R.C..& U.S.A. to change their emissions-levels shows a lack of leadership----quite a contrast to Prentice*s unwillingness to mouth more than platitudes.
Charest was a Minister in Mulroney*s Progressive Conservative governments of 20 years ago. Those conservatives had more than a leavening of "Red Tory "ideas { sounds oxymoronic, yes, but Red Tories were conservative on economics & progressive on social issues}; however, there are no Red Tories to hamper Harper*s right-wing policies. Claiming that Canada has to go with the" big battalions" makes me semi-nostalgic for Trudeau, a leader, warts and all, albeit I never voted for him.
8. things that people outside of Canada may not know:
a) Prentice is part of a party that has been governing Canada within a hung parliament since 2006. His party is not the choice of most of the people in the country.
b) some of the provincial governments are proceeding with programs to meet some of the country's responsibility under Kyoto, even though the federal government has made only half-hearted non-commital announcements of future plans to have future plans to discuss maybe doing something about global warming sometime near the end of this century.
9. Surely the only truly environmentally responsible thing to do would be to close the oil sand operations. How about a proper response Jim?
10. Pity the writer of the article had not taken more courses in P.R. , HE IS COMPLETELY UNCONVINCING. The Canadian ravaging of their earth and waters is there for all to see. A small population in a large area; have managed to destroy fish stocks off both the East and west coasts: it seems permanently.
While the near deserts caused by tree cutting are there for anyone who cares to fly over Canada to see. There are also polluting mines and other metal extracting nightmares in pristine wilderness as well as our old friend the TAR SANDS This is done , not out of need, but because an otherwise hard working and relatively honest population is in thrall to the ideas that selling natural resources to the highest bidder, or subsidizing foreign ownership of those resources "creates wealth" and jobs.
Thus avoiding needing to manufacture or invent as other small populations like Sweden with less resources find necessary. This psychotic delusion is fostered by the government and to some extent by the education system--it is as pernicious as most fundamentalist ideologies .It does seem that unless some sort of therapy similar to that available to those who leave cults is made available to the peoPle they will remain bewitched by corporate power and and continue their infantile denial of their behaviour and it's consequences.
THESE ARE TO HAVE ONE OF THE POOREST HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD, VERY LITTLE SPENT ON WELFARE FOR THE POOR AND ALMOST NOTHING INVESTED IN THEIR CHILDREN--- the situation in which the native people find themselves mirrors the situation of the natural environment -- it is a national shame.
11. If the Harper MINORITY is doing such a great job then WHY did over 500 scientists AGAIN TODAY write yet another open letter to the federal government demanding action on climate change?
http://wwf.ca/conservation/global_warming/copenhagen/december2009/take_action/scientists_voice.cfm
This is not the first open letter the scientists have signed ? although it may be the most recent after The Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS) had their funding cut off by the federal gov't in the fall of this year: http://mecteam.blogspot.com/2009/07/climate-crisis-gag-scientists-steven.html
Following is a report they tried to bury on climate change:
The report - Human Health in a Changing Climate: A Canadian Assessment of Vulnerabilities and Adaptive Capacity - was ever so quietly released on July 31st (2008).
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/_2008/2008_122-eng.php
First, publication of this report was apparently delayed for over a year (no doubt, once apprised of its contents bureaucrats decided further ?study? was required). Then, a Canadian tour to promote the report was cancelled (no doubt, scheduling conflicts). Once the report was ?ready? it was released quietly, without fanfare. One of the authors of chapter 8 had had to kick & scream to get this report released to the public. A similar fate befell another major climate-change study released earlier this year by Natural Resources Canada. (below) After years of research, input from more than 140 experts and $50,000 paid to a public-relations firm to plan its release, Natural Resources posted their study online after 5 p.m. on a Friday with no flourish. This health report was a follow up to the NRCAN (Natural Resources Canada) climate change impact assessment: From Impacts to Adaptation: Canada in a Changing Climate 2007.
In the news: Tories Try to Hide Health Canada Report That Urges Action on Climate Change:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/24/climate-health.html
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizennewsstory.html?id=9df7ec32-0d26-4aa3-b713-b535576349e8
This report is still not posted on the government website. Rather, it is only available through email upon request: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/climat/eval/index-eng.php#guide
In a most outright display of disdain toward climate change action ? Randy Hillier - MPP of Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox, responded to an email regarding climate change by expressing that organizers of citizens demanding action on climate change? should take hold of their argument and ?Stop Breathing.? In a communication dated October-20-09 2:34 PM Mr. Hillier wrote to the non government organization ?Canadians for Action on Climate Change? a message stating the following:
Be the first to take hold of your argument and embrace the prevention of Global warming. Stop CO2 *emmisions now - stop breathing. Randy Hillier? (*Spelling error is his)
The conservative party is succeeding in distracting Canadians of the very real climate emergency that is destroying our planet and risking the future of civilization itself. This very real planet ending threat of catastrophic global warming is taken so lightly that action is successfully being portrayed by the conservatives as ?optional?.
How many times do we need to read about methane percolating out of the poles before we wake up to the harsh fact that this is one big tipping point we are crossing today, now, as we speak? Randy Hillier?s response clearly validates his parties overwhelming ignorance on climate change, as well as the parties disdain for the Canadian people fighting for our children?s very survival on this planet.
If ever there was a need for a non confidence vote in Canada - this is it. The conservative government?s blatant contempt for any action on climate change is irresponsible beyond belief. The entire world is beyond dangerous climate change. We all are facing a real and rapidly rising risk of total catastrophe. Mothers should be outraged. Not only are we in a car barreling full speed toward a cliff ? we have our children strapped in the back seats. In our society we call this infanticide. Canada has written a suicide note and the note is signed by the conservative government. The shortsightedness and lack of vision is not only appalling, it is terrifying.
12. Hard to believe at best... We don't decrease CO2 pollution, we don't impose any real policy to limit greenhouse gases and we are amongst the highest per capital pollution 'experts' in the world.
Did I forget to mention our fearless leader does everything to avoid showing up at international events that mention the word carbon unless its to promote oil sands (where you won't hear the words carbon footprint anyway). Tar sands are one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gases in the world and one of the least efficient sources of energy.
I was once proud of being from Canada. I now feel on par with American and Australians. Proud per capita experts at polluting!!! At least we can brag of having the bigest... carbon footprint.
13. I actually had modest hopes for Prentice - after all, he was replacing Baby Huey, so the expectations were kind of low to begin with. Unfortunately, Mr. Prentice has been a stiff as well.
14. (Canada's emission reduction targets are in line, and will remain aligned, with those recently proposed by the Obama administration.)
Which are severly lacking, and based on 2005 levels, which is completely out of step.
(Canada will continue to play an active and constructive role at Copenhagen with a view to achieving a comprehensive and ambitious agreement that balances environmental protection and economic prosperity, has a long-term focus ..)
So lets compare that long term focus of the developing countries with your short term actions. Canada's climate will improve on the whole, opening up more than, due to Canadas large Co2 per cpaita level. Meanwhile, poor developing countries won't be able to deploy the adaptation measures that Canada will from it's actions contributing heavily to the problem.
Alot of rhetoric here, and not alot underneath it. I think a trend that will continue on through Copenhagen
15. What a load of nonsense. From Mr. Harper's ass to your ears, I suppose. "Canada will continue to play an active and constructive role at Copenhagen."
No offense, but actively and constructively provoking rage and mass walkouts probably isn't anything to carry into the future. Canada's obstinate greed and down-right stupidity is a plague on the rest of the world. You're a joke of a human being, and at this point I'm not sure your Lord and Master is a human being at all. By all means go to Copenhagen and preach your inanity. Hopefully someone will pummel you into submission. One way or another.
16. Hey deniers, why doesn't Canada who, in a world where conventional oil will soon become in short supply, holds oil-sand reserves that would make them immeasurably rich and powerful, encourage the publication of some science to go some way to dampen "climate hysteria"?
Why does this man talk about reducing carbon emissions? Is he part of a conspiracy to make it politically and economically unfavourable for his own country to utilise their most valuable resource?
This is REALLY where you have no argument and your irrational denial of the fact of man-made climate change is patently ridiculous.
17. There's a pretty big elephant in the room in this article....
If the Canadian government is not an enemy of the UNFCCC regime, why did Harper announe that they would no longer bother to try and meet Kyoto obligations.
Personally, I'm dreaming of a last minute vote of no confidence in the (Canadian) House of Commons, an Ignatief-led government taking the reigns and some environmental sense coming out of Canada. What a welcome change that will be after these last few years of the Conservative gov't.
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