Q: How can we get federal politicians talking about green issues?
A: It should be logistically impossible to sweep a whole planet under the rug, but politicians are brilliant magicians. You can count on them to plant a few trees and change a few light bulbs on Earth Day, but how on earth do we get them talking about the deeper, pressing issues outside of one-off photo ops?
Tough one. The media themselves certainly deserve a smack upside the head for their role in relegating green to the back pages, thus setting up the feedback loop that gets Canadians increasingly telling pollsters the environment just doesn’t matter this time around. Last Friday, CTV insisted that only 4.5 per cent of us say the planet is the pivotal issue at the ballot box (while on the same day, Ipsos said it was more like 11 per cent).
But come on, press corp. You’re more “don’t ask, don’t tell” than a U.S. Marines sergeant. If you don’t ask the pols environmental Qs, you won’t get answers. So task number-one for you, dear readers: barrage the press with letters to the editor demanding more green coverage and reminding them that climate change, tar sands issues, renewable energy and green jobs matter to the people who buy their papers and click on their news sites.
Now, some enviros will say sustainability issues haven’t gone under, they’re just been incorporated into the mainstream. Indeed, they’re entrenched in every party’s platform. But I’m getting flashbacks of the 90s: every time we relax and start assuming the job’s getting done, we end up getting robbed of environmental programs, funds and international climate agreements.
That means we have to keep asking those politicians knocking on our doors to stick their necks out for the planet or lose our votes. Ask them why they’re not making noise about, say, nuclear safety as radiation wafts over from Japan. Axing billions in nuclear subsidies and mulling over moratoriums on future nukes just like Germany and Italy would be a good start.
Also, it’s time to call May Day. And by that I mean let’s get Elizabeth May into the ring. Whether you plan on voting NDP, Green or Lib in your riding, you can still help May win her seat by donating to her campaign. Without her, green politics will more easily fade to black in the House after the election.
Probably the number-one thing you can do to make sure the environment doesn’t go the way of the grunge scene is prevent a Tory majority.
Beef up your winning arguments at shitharperdid.ca. And email the link to everyone you know in the 905. Remind them why a vote for Harper is a vote against the planet.
And finally, if first-past-the-post is messing with your choices, consider the insights of projectdemocracy.ca in your riding.
Got a question?
Send your green queries to ecoholic@nowtoronto.com
