ELECTION 2011 -Why is Nobody is Talking About the Environment Yet?

As we are now 5 days into campaigning for Canada’s upcoming 44^th General Election on May 2^nd I have taken notice of something…not a single speech or announcement from any of the major parties has mentioned ANYTHING about the environment.

During the last election in 2008, the environment was THE issue.  It dominated debates and discussions and it pitted the Conservatives and the Liberals at extreme odds with each other.  The Liberals made their Green Shift an integral part of their election platform, which among other things included a highly controversial Carbon Tax as one of the ways to fight climate change.  The Conservatives countered that this was a tax which would hurt everyday Canadians and wreck our economy.  The end result was a large rebuke of the Green Shift and a second straight minority government for Stephen Harper.

So why is it that up to this point has there been not a single mention or announcement relating to the environment or climate change from anyone?  Is it a case where the Liberals are gun shy based on the debacle of 2008?  Do the Conservatives even have an environmental platform?  What about the NDP, Bloc Quebecois or even the Green’s?  Surely they have something to say, don’t they?!

While I acknowledge that the race still has over a month to go, and in all likelihood there will be environmental platform announcements to make before we go to the polls from most, if not all the parties, I can’t help but be both frustrated and angered by the seemingly lack of importance the environment has been shown to this point.

From the Liberal point of view, I can partially understand why they have been silent so far.  I should admit that I do know for a fact that they have been working on an environmental policy for this campaign and it will be laid out before we vote.  However I guess the old adage of once bitten, twice shy may be at play since the Green Shift was released very early on during the 2008 campaign and the strategy backfired severely for them.  The problem though in my opinion about the Green Shift was that while it was indeed a good policy item, it was abhorrently laid out and presented to the public by the Liberals and their leader at the time, Stephan Dion.

You see I have a very real problem with calling the initiative a Carbon Tax to begin with.  The reality was that the proposal wasn’t necessarily a “Tax” but a penalty.  It was a penalty that would be levied against those who continued to make purchases and invest in items that were known to contribute towards increased carbons in our atmosphere that directly lead to climate change.  It was not universally applied and only those who chose to continue to make harmful purchases would have been assessed the penalty.  It would have no effect on those who adjusted their purchasing habits towards goods and services that did not contribute negatively to climate change.  The choice was always there for Canadians to opt out if they didn’t want to pay it, and it would be by making smart choices that lead to green solutions.

I really had to wonder what the Liberal spin doctors were thinking when they introduced the policy as a Carbon Tax.  I realize that this has become the generally accepted designation for this initiative, but surely someone must have realized that putting the word “Tax” directly into an election platform would be nothing short of a gift from the Gods for the Conservatives.  As a result the Conservative spin machine took huge liberties with their portrayal of the policy and in the end managed to sway public opinion against the idea and against the Liberals as well.

Two years later, the climate crisis has not diminished.  In fact all members of the legitimate scientific community (i.e. – peer reviewed and not FOX News reported) maintain that things have only gotten worse.  Yet despite the increasing severity of the situation, all of the campaigns have been silent so far on how they will fight climate change if elected.  A lot of this also has to do with a perceived fatigue on the part of the voter when it comes to the environment, which is something that is very sad, and much more difficult to correct.

Unfortunately too many environmentalists have delivered a message that while necessary, is far too strong and severe for the average individual to digest and accept.  Fighting Climate change became something of a trend which is ultimately very destructive for trends change whereas the only change happening regarding actual climate change is that it’s only getting worse.

My challenge to all the party leaders is to lay out to voters their environmental platforms early and to make them a significant part of their mandate if elected.  At the same time, my challenge to all Canadians who still view the environment as a priority is to raise the issue with their local candidates and with the national parties themselves.  If the campaigners won’t volunteer their plans, then we must continue to ask the right questions and demand the answers that many of us need to know.

We are quickly coming towards a Tipping Point with regards to Climate Change and there is no time to lose when it comes to electing those with the right vision going forward to deal with this crisis.  Parents who understand the responsibilities we have to our children with respect to environmental stewardship must stand up and force the issue if the players aren’t willing to bring it up themselves.

If you agree, then raise your voice, share this opinion piece wherever you can and let’s collectively make some noise!