The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), Canada’s largest news service, asked this question yesterday on their Power & Politics program. My answer is below, and you can add yours or ‘agree and disagree’ with posted comments by clicking here.
No and yes.
The federal government knows, and agrees with, what the science is saying. The sticking point is it is acting in a manner that assumes Canada deserves to pollute more than other rich and industrialized countries.
The government should step up to the plate and commit to doing our part. Canada is now among the top 10 greenhouse gas polluters in the world and is among the top 3 polluters per capita. Yet, every single G8 country is doing more than Canada on global warming. The US, for example, is investing 14x more in renewable energy per capita this year than Canada.
[Read: It's like showing up to a world pot-luck where every one else has cooked a meal and Canada thinks it's appropriate to show up with a bag of potato chips.]
Canada should recognize it is in a very lucky situation in the world to have the ability to invest in, build and develop a clean economy based on leading edge energy efficiency and renewable energy.
[Read: We're the ones that could show up to our place at the table and offer a whole lot more - preferably with ambition, i.e. to the tune of brie, rosemary olive bread, and molten brownies.]
Canada should sign, adopt and implement Bill C-311. It is the government’s responsibility to develop a tough plan that includes Canadian laws to control greenhouse gas pollution to match the recommendations of scientists.
We did it to stop the pollution that caused the hole in the ozone layer – We can do it to fill the hole in our country’s leadership.
