Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The Harper Attack On The Environment - Part One



I am currently reading Elizabeth May's Who We Are: Reflection On My Life And Canada, a political memoir in which her love for her adopted country, Canada, is apparent on each page.

Since we are now in an election year, I believe it incumbent upon all of us to remind as many as possible of the terrible record of the Harper rule these past nine years, a record that should alarm everyone for so many, many reasons. To this end I plan to regularly post small excerpts from May's chapter entitled Science Under Attack. Although most of what I will use is likely well-known to progressives, the abuses of the regime are so numerous that it is sometimes hard to recall all of them. Hence, this ready reference. As well, each post will include some relevant links.

The Attack Begins In Earnest

The position of science advisor to the prime minister was eliminated in 2008. By 2012, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) was also eliminated...it was the last governmental advisory body on science, nature, or sustainable economics. Ironically, after Brian Mulroney established the NRTEE, its existence was used as an excuse to eliminate the Science Council, the Canadian Environmental Advisory Council, and the Economic Council. When Harper killed the NRTEE, his environment minister, Peter Kent, said it had been rendered unnecessary by the advent of the internet.

There is, of course, much, much more to come.



6 comments:

  1. I look forward to upcoming excerpts, Lorne.

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    1. As May makes clear and I hope will be evident in the excerpts, Owen, Harper's ideological war on science follows a deep and destructive pattern.

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  2. As my own foray into his attacks upon democracy is revealing I suspect that there will be a over abundance of attacks upon science and the environment to be condensed into what can only be a synopsis of Mays book. Such historical reviews are necessary at this time to remind those with short memories of his total lack of respect for Canada and Canadians regarding these issues.
    I too look forward to your series Lorne, please excuse me if I 'steal some of your clips or link to them in my Harper History series.

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    1. Hi Rural, please feel free to use whatever might be useful. The more material we can share and disseminate, the greater the chances of reaching a significant number of people.

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  3. Step by step you're drawing ever closer, Lorne. We might just have you stitched up before you cast your next ballot.

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    1. I won't preclude that possibility, Mound. The more my disaffection grows, the greater the likelihood I shall look for alternatives.

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