"We must have done something right because Mr. Harper is now frantically trying to imitate us..." Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.
As Mr Dion flatters himself, we're left to consider the possibility that Mr Dion is right. Is Harper "frantically trying" to imitate the Liberal Party?
The short answer of it is yes. It's becoming obvious that Harper now believes that the environment is a non-winnable issue for the Tories much as he saw health care once upon a time.
The mantra was once "wherever the Liberals are so are we" when it came to health, and now it's the same when it comes to the environment.
Anyone worry though in all this political realism that Harper's displaying lately will lead to more bad than good? Having principles and standing by them is an underestimated strategy if you ask me. Telling the truth about what we can do to help the environment, instead of following along with the trend because we don't figure the truth will sell is not something that sits well with me.
An important note:
None of these measures that Harper is adopting does beans all for the environment if you ask me.
Some of these were Liberal policies a limited practical value. Throwing money at a problem doesn't tend to solve it.
The Liberal strategy of meeting the Kyoto accord targets was to run some commercials encouraging people to save energy and to get "carbon credits" for energy that we already exported to the US. And that's how a country is supposed to cut carbon emissions over a quarter by the end of the decade?
Now Harper's Kyoto strategy doesn't seem all that insane. Quite frankly it seems non-existent. Which I think is the saving grace of this strategy.
Harper must figure that we'll do whatever the Liberals promise on the environment, but we won't fool ourselves into changing our stance on Kyoto.
And maybe that's how Harper is thinking. The principle that is important here is that Kyoto is not achievable, but we'll do everything the Liberals do anyways just to prove it so...
That's unless the Tory position on the Kyoto accord will or has already changed...
PMSH does not have to become a born again treehugger to do a good job on the enviro file.
ReplyDeleteReports were that the Energuide program had reached 22% of it's goal.
So the Cons kicked it up a notch and put it back to work.
It was a good move for short term targets.
The CONSERVATIVES Clean Air Act is the first EVER legislated MANDATORY ghg targets for ALL industry. First target date is 2010.
The CAA is a balance between the economy, industry, environment.
IMO, the CAA will come out of committee looking very much like it did when it went in, because reason will prevail over the enviro hysteria.
Canadians do not desire enviro nuts to run the country, just influence it, otherwise Jack would have been PM years ago.
How many times did Liberals take the Reform/Alliance/Cons platform promises and use them as their own? Many times.
Get over it, governing parties have to listen to the people. Not just to buy votes, but to represent ALL Canadians.
Conservatives have to lose there opposition mentality.
Being the government means compromise.period.