Climate change is acidifying oceans
OTTAWA—Last month, the House Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development released its report on developing a national conservation plan. Among its observations was that “Canada has the responsibility to be a world leader in developing and implementing the best practices in conservation and stewardship” of both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Canada’s efforts […]
Canada still has no plan to address climate change
SAANICH GULF ISLANDS, B.C.—There is no shortage of compelling issues to discuss in a Hill Times Environmental Policy Briefing. Even listing, without describing, the catalogue of assaults on environmental law and policy by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the last 12 months is enough to occupy the whole issue. Canada undermined global climate negotiations […]
Tories earn failing grade on environment, they threaten our environment today, in the future
Repeatedly, the Conservatives have earned a failing grade on the environment: for example, the Climate Change Performance Index ranked Canada 56th of 57 countries in tackling emissions in 2008; the Conference Board of Canada ranked Canada 15th of 17 wealthy industrialized nations on environmental performance in 2009; and Simon Fraser University and the David […]
Feds are doing a lot to protect Canada’s environment
CALGARY—One of my most vivid memories of moving to Alberta involves a hike up Johnston Canyon to the Ink Pots, a series of colourful spring fed pools. Standing in the meadow of Johnston Valley, surrounded by the Canadian Rockies, I fell in love with Canada all over again. This wasn’t the first time I […]
Feds set to release CEAA 2012 regulations
Environment Minister Peter Kent is promising “rigorous” new regulations to accompany sweeping changes to environmental law contained in Bill C-38, but draft regulations recently posted on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s website are raising more questions among environmental groups. “This new legislation does look at what negative environmental impacts may occur with a project’s […]
New Democrats disagree with Tories’ short-sighted approach
HALIFAX, N.S.—Since coming to power in 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government has certainly made an impact on Canada’s environment. Unfortunately, it has not been a positive one. Originally, the environment was lauded as one of the “pillars” for “Canada’s New Government.” Since then, Conservatives have kicked the environmental pillar out from under […]
Carbon pricing ‘off the table,’ says Kent
Since taking over the environment file in January, 2011, Environment Minister Peter Kent has had to relentlessly defend the Conservative federal government’s response to climate change and sell the Canadian public on the sweeping changes to environmental legislation included in the 2012 budget bill. Mr. Kent (Thornhill, Ont.) took over as Environment Minister from […]
Grits are feeling in a good space, but have a lot of work ahead
OTTAWA—When Bob Rae took on the job of interim Liberal leader last summer, most thought it was a selfless offer and a thankless task. It has turned out to be both, but one that he has done better than most expected. He has taken this party from a position of near-extinction and extremely low […]
When Harper Tories took office in 2006, the conservative infrastructure took off
OTTAWA—Way back in 1969, back in the day when Pierre Trudeau had just been Prime Minister for a year, a landmark book on sex hit the charts, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* But Were Afraid To Ask. It was subsequently translated into 54 languages and read by more than 150 million […]
NDP adopting a new centrist lexicon
OTTAWA—It used to be a social democratic party or worse, a democratic socialist party. Now it’s just progressive. They used to fight for the working class, then working families, now it’s the middle class. As the NDP tries to move to the centre, it is adopting a new centrist lexicon. Thomas Mulcair calls it […]
