ab.politics

(K): This article reveals the bullshit Harper tried to spread after being 'odd man out' at the recent Commonwealth meeting in Uganda. He's determined to let large greenhouse producers off the hook by not making any emission limits 'binding'. Let them all curb emissions 'voluntarily'. Bought and paid for, our Prime Minister. The oil companies funded his election and now he's their boy. Screw Canada. _______________________ | November 26, 2007 | The Commons: In the realest sense of the word The government assures us of its leadership and action The Scene. A new week brought a rare concession from the leader of the opposition. Generally loathe to acknowledge the Prime Minister's visionary leadership, he did just that with his first question of the day. "Why," Stephane Dion asked, "is the Prime Minister leading Canadians in a race to the bottom on the worst ecological threat facing humanity?" So perhaps this was not high praise. "Mr. Speaker," clarified John Baird, the Environment Minister, "what the Prime Minister did is provide real and genuine leadership." The cause of the apparent confusion was the Prime Minister's performance at a Commonwealth summit in Kampala. What exactly was accomplished this past weekend is, as per usual, the subject of fierce oppositional debate. We, as a nation, have either single-handedly saved the world or doomed our species to certain and impending failure. Rest assured, in either case, we have done something. And that seems to be enough for this government. "We want all nations to be part of this fight against climate change, but one does not lead by saying to others, 'After you,'" Dion lectured. "When we are Canada, we lead." The Liberals gave their leader a standing ovation. And Baird couldn't have agreed more: "We are not prepared to allow the big polluters like the United States, China and India, to get off the hook," he said. "We need all the big emitters on board, everyone with an oar in the water rowing together." The Liberal deputy tried his luck. "Mr. Speaker, it is exactly the action that is missing," Michael Ignatieff cried. "At the Commonwealth summit, the Prime Minister's approach was, 'I am right and everyone else is wrong.'" But the Prime Minister is right, protested Baird. "This is a crisis of environmental and world proportions. We need all hands on deck." Later, Baird adjusted this slightly. "We need to get everyone on board," he said. The opposition might be well advised to press him on this. For instance, does he want all oars in the water, all hands on deck or is he satisfied to merely have everyone aboard this metaphorical ship? This talk of oars makes one think of vikings. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. As Baird further clarified, it is not important this government necessarily act, but that "Canada begins to act." ^^^^^^ "We are prepared to go first, to provide real leadership," he said, "but we also want to get countries like the United States, like China, like India on board." Seemingly this government is ready to act first, just so long as everyone else does likewise. This may or may not be a contradiction in terms. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Thomas Mulcair, an obviously confused newcomer to this place, rose from the NDP benches and projected his frustration from the far corner. "Mr. Speaker, we do not have hard targets. We do have aspirational goals as in the void, the vacuum created by the vacuous statements of this irresponsible government. We are talking about the greatest ecological crisis the world has ever faced," he yelled, all but coming undone. "The government is going to have to be held to account by future generations," he continued. "What is its excuse? It cannot hide behind the Liberals anymore. It cannot hide behind China and India. What is the government going to do to meet its obligations for the future?" "Well, Mr. Speaker," Baird said after wiping the smirk from his face, "I can say that if we are going to act, we need to act in concert." Suddenly the government's action was being expressed in the hypothetical. The S.S. Baird appeared to be taking on water. Someone might tell the Americans and Chinese to start rowing harder. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Lucienne Robillard rose and praised the Prime Minister as a "maverick ... prescribing a recipe that's going to be a disaster." "This planet deserves better!" assured Baird. David McGuinty tried a different analogy. "Now he stands alone," he said of the Prime Minister, "a pariah, a one man wrecking crew singled out as the roadblock to international progress." After a perfunctory slur from Baird, McGuinty attempted to make things plain. "For the minister's benefit, " he said, "leadership means leading the world to do more, not less" Baird begged to differ. "Mr. Speaker, this member says leading the world to do more, not less. How about acting in Canada?" he asked. "That would have been nice for a change. That's why we are taking real action." Odd maybe, that the government's action, like its leadership, requires such a qualifier. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Harper government: a boat with no oars in the water """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""