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The Canadian government’s crazy approach to tar sands pollution | – Environmental Defence
The Canadian government’s crazy approach to tar sands pollution | – Environmental Defence.
Yesterday in Parliament, Prime Minister Stephen Harper called regulating the largest source of carbon emissions in the country, the oil and gas sector, “crazy.” Twice. In one fell swoop, the leader of our country broke three promises to Canadians and the rest of the world.
For at least seven years, the federal government has been promising to regulate carbon pollution from the oil and gas sector. Canada’s environment minister even said it on the world stage, at the UN climate conference last year in Warsaw. Promise…broken.
The Canadian government has also promised to move forward in lock-step with the U.S. on climate change. Contrary to the Prime Minister’s statement in the House, oil and gas regulations would not be “unilateral.” In 2012, the U.S. put significant limits on carbon emissions from its oil and gas sector. Canada is not following the U.S. lead on this. Promise…broken.
Canada’s environmental commissioner has said that, without regulating the fast-growing carbon pollution coming from oil and gas facilities, Canada’s 2020 Copenhagen commitment is officially out of reach. So the Prime Minister just ripped up its commitment to the global community too. Promise…broken.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Stop Stephen Harper’s Assault on our National Parks | Elizabeth May
Stop Stephen Harper’s Assault on our National Parks | Elizabeth May.
Unlike our current Prime Minister’s attack on climate policy and push for every pipeline and tanker in sight, this one is flying under the radar. In fact, Conservative Party talking points make great claims of having expanded the national park system.
The following is from the Conservative Party website:
Since 2006, the Government has taken significant action to protect our natural areas, including taking steps to add more than 160,000 square kilometres to the Canadian federal parks and marine conservation system — a more than 58 per cent increase…
And it is actually true that new parks, especially in the far north have added huge tracts of lands to the parks. But like a Trojan horse, within this gift is the destruction of the standards of ecological integrity that are necessary to maintain national parks — our highest order of conservation and protection.
I have already written of the disaster that is Sable Island National Park in Nova Scotia. This iconic island is famous for its dunes and wild ponies. I was the only MP to oppose the legislation that allowed for seismic testing inside the park and directional oil and gas drilling under it. The legislation for Sable Island National Park places the Canada-Nova Scotia Off-shore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) as the key regulator. The CNSOPB only has to inform Parks Canada about oil and gas activities inside the park; not consult even consult in advance.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Harper To Ontario: Focus On Economy, Not ‘Confrontation’
Harper To Ontario: Focus On Economy, Not ‘Confrontation’.
MARKHAM, Ont. – The Prime Minister chastised the Ontario government on Thursday, saying it ought to focus less on “confrontation” and more on getting its fiscal house in order.
Stephen Harper made his comments at an event in Markham, Ont., where he was asked why it has been so long since he met with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. The two last met a year ago and Wynne has repeatedly voiced her frustrations over not being able to sit down with the prime minister.
“I meet regularly with premiers across the country and we anticipate we will have another meeting at some point in time,” Harper said, before launching into a series of sharper comments.
“We all know that the government of Ontario has some pretty significant challenges. I would encourage the government of Ontario to focus on those things, not on confrontation.”
Harper did not mention Wynne by name, but took time to compare his federal Conservatives with Ontario’s governing Liberals.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Canada’s PM To Putin: “I Guess I’ll Shake Your Hand…” Putin’s Response “It Was Not Positive” | Zero Hedge
Following last week’s (humiliating for the US) APEC meeting in Beijing, in which the BRIC nations clearly distanced themselves from the “developed world” and the topic of the “Russian invasion of Ukraine” was largely missing as it is clearly not in the interest of the Pacific nations to warmonger when the two key nations, Russia and China are obviously not complying with the western media ‘straight to populism‘ narrative, it was time for another major world summit, this time in the quite “western” Brisbane, Australia.
It was here that the G-7 part of the G-20 nations seized the opportunity to quickly pivot against Moscow and remind Europe that the reason why Europe is in a triple-dip recession (if one removes the GDP “boost” from hookers and blow) is because of Russia’s “take over” of east Ukraine, ignoring the reality that it was the US State Department’s Victoria Nuland that incited the Kiev coup and the west that imposed the “costly” sanctions on Russia which have hurt Germany and Europe just as badly. This was all largely lost on the local, as outside the summit, Ukrainian Australians staged an anti-Putin protest, wearing headbands reading “Putin, Killer”.
It was a full court press from the start: as the NYT reports, “at a speech at a university in Brisbane,Mr. Obama called Russia’s aggression against Ukraine a “threat to the world, as we saw in the appalling shootdown of MH-17, a tragedy that took so many innocent lives, among them your fellow citizens,” a reference to the Australian citizens and residents who were killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 went down in eastern Ukraine.
“As your ally and friend, America shares the grief of these Australian families, and we share the determination of your nation for justice and accountability,” Mr. Obama said.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Foreign policy shift puts Canada at risk of armed attacks | Al Jazeera America
Foreign policy shift puts Canada at risk of armed attacks | Al Jazeera America.
A drastic shift in Canada’s Middle East policy has put the country “on the map” of international armed groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), analysts say, following two lethal attacks in the span of a week — one of which is said to have been inspired by the group.
“Canada seems to have gone far right” under the administration of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said Roksana Bahramitash, director of research for the Canada Research Chair in Islam, Pluralism and Globalization at the University of Montreal.
The Harper administration’s dramatic stance on Middle Eastern affairs, what analysts call an unprecedented departure with previous governments that focused their diplomacy on aid and peacekeeping missions, “puts Canada in a position it has never been in before,” said Bahramitash.
Since Harper took office in 2006, Ottawa has sent funds to support the opposition in Syria’s ongoing civil war, expressed vocal support for Israel amid the ongoing offensive in Gaza and shuttered diplomatic ties with Iran at a highpoint of tensions between Washington and Tehran over its nuclear program.
…click on the link above to read the rest of the article…
PM vows to ‘fight terror’ after Ottawa attack – Americas – Al Jazeera English
PM vows to ‘fight terror’ after Ottawa attack – Americas – Al Jazeera English.
Canada’s prime minister has condemned the “brutal and violent” shooting of a Canadian soldier in Ottawa and a hit-and-run that killed another soldier earlier this week, saying the incidents are grim reminders that Canada is not immune to terrorism.
“But let there be no misunderstanding, we will not be intimidated,” Stephen Harper said in a televised address to the nation late on Wednesday.
Harper said the attacks would not deter Canada from working with international allies to fight terrorism around the world, and vowed to go after those who are involved.
“This will lead us to strengthen our resolve and redouble our efforts, to fight against the terrorist organisations who brutalise those in other countries with the hope of bringing their savagery to our shores,” he said.
…click on the link above to read the rest of the article…
Canada, At War For 13 Years, Shocked That ‘A Terrorist’ Attacked Its Soldiers – The Intercept
Canada, At War For 13 Years, Shocked That ‘A Terrorist’ Attacked Its Soldiers – The Intercept.
(updated below – Update II)
TORONTO – In Quebec on Monday, two Canadian soldiers were hit by a car driven by Martin Couture-Rouleau, a 25-year-old Canadian who, as The Globe and Mail reported, “converted to Islam recently and called himself Ahmad Rouleau.” One of the soldiers died, as did Couture-Rouleau when he was shot by police upon apprehension after allegedly brandishing a large knife. Police speculated that the incident was deliberate, alleging the driver waited for two hours before hitting the soldiers, one of whom was wearing a uniform. The incident took place in the parking lot of a shopping mall 30 miles southeast of Montreal, “a few kilometres from the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean, the military academy operated by the Department of National Defence.”
The right-wing Canadian government wasted no time in seizing on the incident to promote its fear-mongering agenda over terrorism, which includes pending legislation to vest its intelligence agency, CSIS, with more spying and secrecy powers in the name of fighting ISIS. A government spokesperson asserted “clear indications” that the driver “had become radicalized.”
