Category Archives: conservative party

Green Plan Schlock vs. Lovelock’s Clock

climate crisis, conservative party

You’ve probably heard that the Conservatives are currently developing their “Green Plan II” by focus group. Apparently someone told them that this “environment stuff” is really popular right now. (That’s not a joke — it is, and there are a number of indications that Harper’s real number one priority is upgrading his government to a majority.)

Let’s just ignore the fact that focus groups are no way to lead. Oh, and the fact that the government is paying for it instead of the Conservative party. (Really? Do I have to ignore that? Ok…)

I wish I held out hope that this plan will be much more than a greenwash, but I don’t. And I’d be more specific if we were allowed to see the details, but we’re not. All we know for sure is that polluters are going to have a big say, that regulations are most likely going to voluntary, and that the plan will focus on air pollution instead of climate change (aka, the biggest threat facing our country in the foreseeable future).

We also know that the plan could take five years to develop and come into effect. Now, I don’t mean to be alarmist, but maybe they should read James Lovelock. The clock is ticking folks.

Priorities and Leadership

conservative party, democracy and good government, economy, foreign affairs, health, social justice

I saw Stephen Lewis speak last night, and was not disappointed. One of the things that really impressed me was his ability to juggle despair with hope, death with life, dire statistics with practical solutions.

Stephen was of course speaking on the topic of HIV/AIDS, along with Mary Ash, filmmaker Norman Jewison, and others at an event organized by ICA Canada.

I won’t attempt to summarize the content of the evening. For one, as Stephen said, the issue is so huge and complex that it’s impossible to hold in your mind all at once, let alone to hold in a blog post. For another, the statistics are difficult to understand in any real way. I have a hard time imagining what it would be like if one in three Torontonians had AIDS, as is the case in too many parts of Africa.

In his closing remarks, Norman Jewison called AIDS the greatest crisis facing humanity, with the possible exception of (or second only to?) nuclear warfare. I would have said global warming in place of nuclear warfare, but either way his comment got me thinking about priorities. Specifically, those of Stephen Harper, who reiterated today that AIDS is not a priority for him.

Instead, his top five priorities upon getting elected were:

  1. An accountability act that does little for accountability.
  2. A GST cut (along with an income tax raise) that most economists think is a bad idea.
  3. “Cracking down” on crime. (Definition of “cracking down” is pending.)
  4. A child care plan that doesn’t create child care.
  5. A health plan that wont keep Canadians healthy.

Notably absent are the three crises above, at least one of which (the climate crisis) is being increasingly cited as a top concern of Canadians. To say nothing of democratic reform, water security, food security, or the inequality of Canada’s aboriginal population (which, by the way, has a higher rate of HIV/AIDS than the rest of Canada), to name but a few. But hey, at least now a can of Coke costs one cent less. (Oh wait, Coke still costs the same. How’d they get away with that?)

When Harper announced his list back in January, he said that “you can’t lead if you can’t focus and determine what really matters.”

I’ll give him that.

Centralized Power and the Conductor

conservative party, democracy and good government, foreign affairs, trade

Yesterday the Globe and Mail revealed that the Conservatives have “used an extraordinary ‘national security’ clause to take control of $8-billion in recently announced military spending,” contravening the 1994 Agreement on Internal Trade with the provinces. I was going to make one of my famous “so much for real transparency and accountability” and “do these guys even know what these words mean?” and “didn’t Harper used to oppose the centralization of power?” posts, but last night I instead went to see the National Youth Orchestra of Canada perform at Roy Thompson Hall and I ran out of time.

I’m sort of glad I did, because now I can instead report that today the Globe’s editorial staff were much more scathing than I was going to be. Instead of “national security,” they’ve called this “national pork-barrelling…the most startling example of Tory beneficence lately…wrongheaded…How the righteous have fallen…the Tories are making themselves at home in the coffers…part of a widening pork-barrel pattern…and the pattern is called hypocrisy.”

So I think I’ll just back away slowly and let them have the last word on that one.

Oh, the National Youth Orchestra was great by the way. Apparently alumni from the NYOC make up a full third of all orchestras in Canada. It’s a great opportunity for young artists and it deserves our support.

One thing nagged at me though, and you may have noticed this as well. As I watched and listened to the orchestra play, I couldn’t help but think, “you know, if the conductor were to suddenly take a seat, I’m pretty sure the music would go on…”

No Two-Time Losers Allowed

conservative party, democracy and good government

This is kinda funny. From now on, if you want to be a federal Conservative candidate, you only get two tries. Anyone who’s lost two elections will have to get special permission from the Conservative Party’s executive before running again (even if they’re the democratically nominated candidate).

Of course, upon hearing this, I immediately thought of my previous Conservative opponent Lewis Reford. “Poor Lewis,” I thought, “he’ll only get one more kick at the can.”

And yet, there are at least two reasons this might not actually matter to him. First, he would almost certainly be granted an exception, mostly because he’s running in a Liberal stronghold, and only slightly because his wife sits on the Conservative Party’s executive.

Secondly, Lewis, who had quit his job to focus on family, politics, and volunteering, just took a new job today.

Isn’t that interesting?

ps. Yes, I know, applying this rule to the Green Party would be hilarious. Har har har.
pps. No, I’m not actually suggesting that Susan McArthur would act in conflict, or that today’s announcement of Lewis’ new job is anything but coincidence. I’m just suggesting that coincidences are fun. And aren’t they?
ppps. Oh great. Now I’ve got MacArthur Park stuck in my head.

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