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By Matthew Burrows
The Canadian government under Harper now stands as one of the villains of the story of global climate change.” Monbiot added that Harper has provoked “shock and outrage” among those in Britain and elsewhere in the world who are concerned about how to tackle climate change. “He [Harper] had an opportunity here to do what all politicians now need to do, which is to take climate change seriously and start to swing round the political life of the nation, to put climate change at the top of the agenda,” he said. “Instead, faced with a few powerful industrial lobbyists, he wimped out. It’s very often the case, I find, with men like Harper, that they make themselves out to be these great, tough figures who make hard decisions in difficult circumstances. But actually all they do is what the most powerful people tell them to do. And those who often portray themselves as toughest in politics are those who are the softest touch when it comes to industrial lobbies or foreign governments like George Bush’s. The really strong politicians are those who will stand up to the powerful and make decisions on behalf of the weak.”
Scientists see, but leaders blindFriday, December 14, 2007By quirksBy Bob McDonald, host of the CBC science radio program Quirks & Quarks. There’s a strange irony to Canada’s position at the
UN Climate
Change Conference in Bali this week. Canada is now perceived as the bad
guy, alongside the United States, for blocking progress on setting targets
for reducing green house emissions. Yet it’s our own scientists who are
leading the field, pointing out the very problem of climate change
itself…..
The sad part of that is we could be.
Environment Canada 'muzzles' scientists' dealings with media
Policy aims to stop Baird from seeing 'surprises' in news
Margaret Munro The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, February 01, 2008
Environment Canada has "muzzled" its scientists, ordering them to refer all media queries to the federal government, where communications officers will help them respond with "approved lines."
The new policy, which went into force in recent weeks and sent a chill through the department research divisions, is designed to control the department's media message and ensure there are no "surprises" for Environment Minister John Baird and senior management when they open the newspaper or turn on the television, according to documents.
"Just as we have 'one department, one website' we should have 'one department, one voice'," says a PowerPoint presentation from Environment Canada's executive management committee that's been sent to department staff.
It laments that there has been "limited co-ordination of messages across the country" and how "interviews sometimes result in surprises to minister and senior management."
Environment Canada scientists, many of them world leaders in their fields, have long been encouraged to discuss their work on everything from migratory birds to melting Arctic ice with the media and public. Several of them were co-authors of the United Nations report on climate change that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
"It's insulting," says one senior staff member, who asked not to be named. She says researchers can no longer even discuss or confirm science facts without approval from the "highest level."
Harper gov't has 'disregard' for science: journal
Updated Fri. Feb. 22 2008 4:14 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff A biting editorial published in one of the world's most well-respected journals accuses Stephen Harper's Conservative government of having a "manifest disregard for science." The editorial, called Science in Retreat, appeared in Thursday's edition of the British journal Nature. "Science has long faced an uphill battle for recognition in Canada, but the slope became steeper when the Conservative government was elected in 2006," it says. The editorial says that while Canada's researchers consistently rank among the world's top ten, the federal government's track record on science is "dismal in comparison." The Harper government has also been skeptical of the science on climate change and stepped away from Canada's commitment to Kyoto, the journal charges. Environment Canada scientists were "muzzled," in January, it says, when they were ordered to rout all media enquiries through Ottawa.
action on climate, documents show
Monday, March 31, 2008
OTTAWA I The Harper government was warned last year by its own environmental scientific experts that Canada would have to join an aggressive international campaign to fight global warming to avoid "substantial global and Canadian impacts" or risk irreversible damage to the planet, revealed newly-released memorandums obtained by Canwest News Service. The warning was contained in memorandums sent in June 2007 by Brian Gray, head of Environment Canada's Science and Technology branch, to the department's deputy minister. The documents were delivered days before Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended a summit of major industrialized countries, hosted by Germany, which was seeking consensus among countries for an international accord to limit warming to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Tories less than honest about honesty actNews Features By Charlie Smith Publish Date: January 11, 2007 Shortly after being appointed as Canada’s new environment minister on January 4, John Baird declared to reporters: “Last year, I cleaned up government. This year, I’m going to clean up the environment.” However, an Ottawa-based democracy campaigner alleges that Baird has broken 22 of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s 52 pre-election promises to enhance public trust in government.
Where is the climate change report, Minister Lunn? Ottawa - The Climate Action Network Canada-Réseau action climat Canada (CAN-RAC) is calling on Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn to immediately release a report on the impacts of climate change—a report that his ministry has been sitting on since last fall. The scientific report on climate change impacts and adaptation for each region of Canada was to be released prior to the Kyoto negotiations in Bali, but has yet to be made public. “This topic is at the heart of Canada's climate change crisis, so why is it being kept under wraps?" asked Arthur Sandborn, climate campaigner for Greenpeace Canada. The report “From Impacts to Adaptation: Canada in a Changing Climate” describes Canada’s vulnerability to global warming. It is the work of scientists working across Canada and will provide the most up-to-date picture of the impacts of climate change on Canada. The summary report, which has been complete for several months, is said to provide advice to government on the steps required to adapt to changes in the climate.
Canada must protect its water from U.S.: report
Updated Thu. Apr. 3 2008 1:24 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff The Canadian government needs a better strategy to protect the country's fresh water in the face of growing U.S. demand, says a report released Thursday by an Ottawa-based think tank. The Polaris Institute report, called "Turning on Canada's Tap," says the Conservative government has shown little movement on developing an official policy on water exports, even though Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised one in the throne speech of 2007.
Canada, U.S. agree to use each other's troops in civil emergencies
David Pugliese , Canwest News Service Published: Friday, February 22, 2008 Canada and the U.S. have signed an agreement that paves the way for the militaries from either nation to send troops across each other's borders during an emergency, but some are questioning why the Harper government has kept silent on the deal. Neither the Canadian government nor the Canadian Forces announced the new agreement, which was signed Feb. 14 in Texas. The U.S. military's Northern Command, however, publicized the agreement with a statement outlining how its top officer, Gen. Gene Renuart, and Canadian Lt.-Gen. Marc Dumais, head of Canada Command, signed the plan, which allows the military from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a civil emergency.
PM 'tightening the screws' on government: mentor
Updated Sun. Mar. 2 2008 5:33 PM ET The Canadian Press OTTAWA -- Perhaps the most significant act of the Harper government is being conducted so slowly, steadily, and silently that it has raised barely a whisper of public debate.
After three Conservative budgets, the Government of Canada has been made financially incapable of offering costly new social programs or significant tax cuts for the foreseeable future.
Remember the national day-care plan the Liberals talked about when the country was awash in $13-billion annual surpluses? Or the Kelowna treaty to deal with aboriginal poverty?
Those surpluses are now almost gone.
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