Wondering why most environmental organizations go quiet during election season? To be honest, they’re scared they’ll get audited for what can be deemed political activities and lose their charitable status. The Harper government has a special $13 million fund just for that.
But even if the Canada Revenue Agency forbids them to directly or indirectly oppose a particular party or candidate, the David Suzuki Foundation is prepping voters to cast their ballots for the planet.
The Foundation wants you to pose four key questions to candidates, via email, social media, live debates and in person. It’ll help remind them that Canadians care about these issues, so go ahead and grill ’em. Some will inevitably dance around your hard Qs, as politicians are apt to do. So here’s a thumbnail of where the parties really stand.
1. Do you believe Canada should join more than 110 nations in recognizing the right to live in a healthy environment and amend the Charter Of Rights And Freedoms?
Based on the Conservatives’ passion for dismantling environmental laws, it’s fair to assume they’re not chomping at the bit to entrench this right. So far, only Elizabeth May and Tom Mulcair have expressed clear support for this move. Last year, Mulcair seconded an NDP private member’s bill calling for an Environmental Bill Of Rights to legally enshrine our right to a healthy environment and the duty of the feds to protect the environment. He also likes to repeat that he made the right to a healthy environment a charter right in Quebec. No word from Justin Trudeau yet on this one, though hopefully he’ll take note of the 79 Canadian municipalities that now officially support it.
2. Canadians subsidize the fossil fuel industry to the tune of $1.3 billion per year despite the fact that the industry is in a downturn, which has destabilized our economy. Will you end these subsidies and encourage the transition to a clean-tech economy? If so, how?
The Conservatives officially pinky-swore, along with every other G20 country, to end fossil fuel subsidies back in 2009. Guess that one was more of an aspirational goal, since Canadians haven’t seen a lot of movement on this front. The three other major political parties promise to take action on this, but push them for details on when.
3. Provinces that have put a price on carbon have seen economic growth that outpaces the Canadian average. Will you enact a national carbon pricing policy?
Stephen Harper hasn’t been shy about ridiculing carbon pricing schemes, even though most Canadian industries have expressed clear support for them. The NDP is calling for a national cap-and-trade system like Ontario and Quebec’s, which can be prone to loopholes and exemptions. The Greens want to put a carbon fee on oil, coal and gas when extracted or imported, but like BC’s system it would be revenue-neutral, so Canadians would get a compensatory break on income taxes. Trudeau wants to set national targets and let the provinces decide whether to go cap-and-trade or carbon tax. Pembina Institute has called the approach potentially “problematic,” noting that it would be “simpler” for the feds to adopt one system or another.
4. Canadians deserve a government that is open, transparent and committed to science. Will you support allowing government scientists to speak freely about their work, opening up review processes to all concerned Canadians and basing decisions on the best available evidence?
No doubt you’ll get a lot of double-speak from Conservative candidates on this one. They’ll tell you how science-friendly they are and how they set up a $1.5 billion Canada First science research fund, distracting you from all the global censure they’ve gotten for muzzling science and gutting departments like Oceans and Fisheries and Environment Canada. All the other parties promise to end the muzzling and allow government scientists to speak publicly about their research. Don’t forget to ask what they’d do if a government employee sang a catchy folk song about that. (Long-time Environment Canada scientist and folksinger Tony Turner can tell you the current government puts you on leave.)
ecoholic@nowtoronto.com | @ecoholicnation
