It feels like it did when we did not win men hockey gold (or anything in men hockey) at the last Olympics. Or, perhaps, I feel a little bit of present shame. I hear the world rebuking Canada loud and clear!Canada is the laughing stock of the world in the face of a global environmental crisis in global warming, especially at the UN climate conference. While people from around the world have rallied around our collective obligations to help save the planet (as have many Canadians) our federal government has not.
Meanwhile, most governments of traditionally polluter nations have enthusiastically followed their people and the science. They have shown that same commitment by supporting the principles of Kyoto. They get it! Meanwhile, Canada has been slithering away from Kyoto for the last 11 months or so and has clearly missed it!
Is Stephen trying to stay true to the mandate (he perceives some Canadians gave him) to back away from Kyoto? Is this to the pleasure of oil rich Alberta, his home province. Or, is this so that the United States does not need to stand alone on this issue? After all, why would Steve repeat what the Liberals chose to do in letting George go about it without us when Canadian troops were not sent to Iraq by Jean Chrétien?
Either way, Steve has thrown Rona to the wolves. Tonight she was visibly uncomfortable in an interview while in Kenya. Her voice was actually trembling. Either she is nervous about being on a world stage, or she is mortified for having been sacrificed by Stephen ... and made to look like a chump on a world stage or both.
Anyhow, I don't think the lot of them think this is actually the right thing to do, just what is politically necessary for some bizarre and unknown reason.
I assume whatever it is that is forcing the Conservatives to take this bizarre stand is more important than their popularity with Canadians, because the conservatives are going to pay for this one in the polls - BIG TIME - and perhaps for a LONG TIME ...
2 comments:
Check out CTVs Duffy from Tuesday. Maxime Bernier told Jane that there is PROOF that Dion has duped the international community. A report from Environment Canada advised the Liberals that meeting the Kyoto targets would be IMPOSSIBLE !
That report may be a little hard to un-spin.
Wilson61. I had not been focussing on the Liberal record, though I interpret the bulk of the international backlash being because the CPC is not looking to hit Kyoto targets at all, where at least with the Liberals there was a commitment to try to meet these standards, whether it is possible or not.
This current negative public perception is reflected in CPCs unwillingnesas to aknowledge that Kyoto is the best thing we have as far as international agreements on this issue that has the potential to slow down climate change as a first collective step.
That wouldn't take alot and I don't think a Liberal government would hold back on admitting that.
Post a Comment