American, French, and Japanese multinational corporations are the primary polluters in Canada.
Its about time scientists take a more vocal and assertive role on this issue of global warming; they should follow David Suzuki's lead.
To his credit, while in Toronto, Al Gore stood up and vigorously spoke out in defense of David Suzuki's public confrontation with Mr. Baird, the Conservative Party's Environment Minister.
Al Gore went beyond defending Suzuki and called the present environmental policies of the right-wing Canadian Conservative federal government a "scam" and a "fraud." Gore called the Conservative Party's environmental program, "a complete and total fraud designed to mislead the Canadian public.”
David Suzuki has been a big booster of the socialist oriented New Democratic Party headed up by Jack Layton. Suzuki presently supports some of the environmental proposals of the Ontario Liberal Party.
Don't hold your breath waiting for Al Gore to support the socialist alternative to capitalism as David Suzuki does; or, even to engage in support for real solutions to global warming like saving the St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant as he travels across the United States testing the waters for another presidential bid. However, it is refreshing to see someone like Al Gore not shy away from controversy as the other Democratic candidates do. But Gore is still a long ways from putting forward real solutions to real problems, choosing instead to play it "safe" in using the accepted Democratic strategy of speaking in terms of nice sounding progressive policies which are no replacement for advocating real solutions to problems.
Some people have accused Gore of trying to "steal the thunder" out from under David Suzuki's "in your face" confrontation with Baird. Even if this is the case, which it may very well be since Gore went to Canada to promote himself and his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth;" Al Gore's defense of Suzuki, and Suzuki's fighting spirit is still welcome.
The socialist New Democratic Party is headed for a third term in the Province of Manitoba... Manitobans are happy with their steadily improving standard of living under the leadership of the New Democratic Party which has taken numerous steps to defend clean air and water. Manitoba's NDP Premier Gary Doer
has done more to defend our air and waters than any of our own elected officials in state and federal governments as he has vigorously defended the boundary waters including Lake of the Woods and the Red River of the North. Fortunately for us, the socialist Premier of Manitoba, Gary Doer, has spoken out vigorously against the intent to contaminate these waters or United States Steel would have purged its MinnTac operation's "Clearwater Reservoir" of billions of gallons of contaminated waste into our streams, rivers, and lakes already. Doer is a worker, and a member of the Manitoba Government Employees' Union seeking his third term as Manitoba Premier. Few Americans know our neighbors to the north have a majority socialist provincial government. American big-business has pumped all kinds of money into Doer's right-wing opponents of the Conservative and Liberal parties. American big-business wants to see Manitoba's publicly owned hydro industry privatized... Manitobans now pay the lowest electric bills in North America and they sell lots of clean "green" electricity generated by hydro dams south of the border. A previous Conservative Party government was tossed out of office after privatizing the publicly owned Manitoba Telephone system... Manitobans have had it with privatization since their phone bills have gone from less than $10.00 an month to over $30.00 and they don't want to see the same thing happen to their electric bills... Manitobans will be sticking with the NDP and the socialist road to real progress where people, workers' rights, and the environment are more important than the corporate bottom line. Even Manitoba's huge provincial casinos are smoke-free providing a healthy working environment for casino employees who are paid real living wages.Americans would do well to learn more about the socialist New Democratic Party of Canada as we seek an alternative to the two-party trap.
Check out the Manitoba New Democratic Party:
http://www.mb.ndp.ca/
When working people have their own political party they can make real progress... the Manitoba New Democratic Party has demonstrated that by using an expansion of social programs, combined with a vigorous defense of workers' rights and human rights it is possible to fight poverty and racial injustices while creating a healthier environment.
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Here is one story from the mainstream Canadian media about Suzuki's face-to-face confrontation with the Conservative government's Baird [What is this? The leader of the socialist New Democratic Party is even quoted in the media? Gees, that is enough to make the editor of the Star Tribune shiver]:
David Suzuki Gets Hot Over Global Warming
Friday April 27, 2007
While hundreds milled about at the Green Living Show on Friday, two men met face-to-face in the crowd, confronting each other as well as the myriad criticisms reserved for the new Conservative environment plan.
On one side was Tory Environment Minister John Baird, defending the very strategy his staff accidentally faxed to Liberal opposition members Tuesday night.
On the other, Canada's most famous ecological scientist, David Suzuki, who wanted to tell Baird personally that his plan is little more than a "disappointment."
"When I met with Minister Baird last week, he promised all kinds of great things and it's been a big disappointment to see what it is," Suzuki insisted.
"It's all smoke and mirrors."
Suzuki claims Stephen Harper's government is ignoring the Kyoto Accord, claiming Ottawa hasn't set any firm dates that it's prepared to meet.
"He is turning his back on the Kyoto process which we are signed on to and he is not setting hard targets for reduction starting right now," he added.
Suzuki continued his confrontation with Baird by insisting there's still opportunity for further action, and in the end the men parted amicably with Baird promising his ministry would be "very happy" to meet with Suzuki again.
Under the Conservative plan, most environmental targets would be reached by 2025, which is 13 years too late by Kyoto standards.
But Baird tells a different story, promising his government's new emissions regulations are a "middle ground" between industry and environmental concerns.
The minister was also quick to point fingers at the previous Liberal government for not addressing greenhouse gases, as well as the Ontario Grits for not delivering on an election promise to close coal-fired electricity plants.
Not surprisingly, Suzuki endorsed the provincial Liberals, and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty wasted no time firing back at the Tory plan, maintaining it falls short of Canadian expectations and promising Ontario will go further.
"Later this spring our government will be issuing a climate change plan that will help Ontarians make the kinds of positive choices that together make a real difference," McGuinty said.
The premier also used the opening of the Green Living Show - held at the Direct Energy Centre - to announce energy rebates for homeowners.
Dubbed "Turning the Corner," the Conservative government strategy focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality.
And while everything from the efficiency of household dishwashers to the carbon dioxide emissions of Alberta's oil sands will be encompassed by the new regulations, Canadian households will take a hit as the prices for appliances, cars and electricity are expected to rise.
But none of this is music to the ears of opposition leaders.
"In order to have a strong economy we need to have energy efficiency, we need to modernize our industry," said federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion.
"The best way to do it is to bring the environment and the economy together, but this government does not believe in it.
"This is not a plan, it's a scam."
"This isn't going to get the job done," seconded NDP frontman Jack Layton.
"It's going to have us playing catch up and we're never going to catch up with other countries at this rate."
