Wednesday, July 06, 2011

On public values

Look everybody, it's yet more evidence that Stephen Harper has moved Canada in a conservative direction!
Environment Canada staff advised incoming cabinet minister Peter Kent that Canadians believe Ottawa is too soft on businesses and individuals that harm the world around them.
...
The analysis paints a picture of a Canadian public that cares deeply about the environment and wants Ottawa to hold environmental offenders accountable for their actions.

"Canadians generally feel that their governments do not go far enough in enforcing environmental laws and they tend to support sharply limiting industrial greenhouse gas emissions," the analysis says.

While there is support for using incentives to encourage pro-environmental practices, Canadians "express more support for the application of strict standards, controls, and penalties" when it comes to the transgressions of the corporate world.
No word yet as to who gets to inform the oil industry it's officially out of the Harper coalition. But I'm pretty sure acknowledging that the Cons' environmental delay tactics are now, and always have been, directly contrary to the views of the public is out of the question.

Update: A propos of nothing, this.

2 comments:

  1. Sixth Estate6:48 p.m.

    This will probably be unconvincing to a minister who gets his oilsands advice from Ezra Levant.

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  2. The telling statement in the Environment Canada analysis is that Canadians are less concerned about climate change this year than last year, because of the global recession.   As long as Canadians value a "strong,stable" economy over environmental issues, we don't have much chance of reducing emissions  because we fear loss of jobs and economic instability.  I know this sounds cynical, but until we are hit with climate change impacts, I see a lot of verbal support, but very little action, for reducing emissions.

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