Harper refusing to discuss climate change?

[James_enviroman]

At the G20 Harper has made it clear that he won't make climate change a priority, despite pleas from UN secretary Ban Ki Moon. Also at a meeting with 100 youth conference at the G20, the question wasn't presented. Apparently one person wanted to discuss the topic of climate change and Harper had that person removed. Harper referred to the issue of climate change as "a sideshow".
I understand the economy is important, I get that. However, does that mean that you don't even address the subject of climate change as being relevant? It's time for Harper and the Conservatives to step for all Canadians for now and for the future. Instead, it looks like Harper has his head stuck in the Tar Sands.

 

[darkbeaver]

Don't worry the climate will make itself a priority no matter what Steven Israel Harper wants to do.

 

[gopher]

NASA: Easily the hottest April — and hottest Jan-April — in temperature record

Plus a new record 12-month global temperature, as predicted


http://climateprogress.org/2010/05/16/nasa-easily-the-hottest-january-and-hottest-jan-april-in-temperature-record/

Sounds VERY convincing.

 

[Slim Chance]

Apparently one person wanted to discuss the topic of climate change and Harper had that person removed.

One whole person, eh?.... How many were there to discuss the economy? I'm guessing that it was probably more than one.

I understand the economy is important, I get that. However, does that mean that you don't even address the subject of climate change as being relevant?

Yes. It is irrelevant.

 

[Avro]

Yes. It is irrelevant.

So the environment is irrelevant to the economy?

I'd love to see you explain that one.

 

[Extrafire]

The environment is relevant. Climate change is relevant only so far as what will have to be done to adapt to changing conditions. But I doubt that's what James means.

 

[Slim Chance]

So the environment is irrelevant to the economy?

I'd love to see you explain that one.

The explanation is elementary my good man. I responded to this:

Quoting James_enviroman I understand the economy is important, I get that. However, does that mean that you don't even address the subject of climate change as being relevant?

 

[AnnaG]

At the G20 Harper has made it clear that he won't make climate change a priority, despite pleas from UN secretary Ban Ki Moon. Also at a meeting with 100 youth conference at the G20, the question wasn't presented. Apparently one person wanted to discuss the topic of climate change and Harper had that person removed. Harper referred to the issue of climate change as "a sideshow".
I understand the economy is important, I get that. However, does that mean that you don't even address the subject of climate change as being relevant? It's time for Harper and the Conservatives to step for all Canadians for now and for the future. Instead, it looks like Harper has his head stuck in the Tar Sands.

lol Science in general isn't interesting to Harpy.

 

[AnnaG]

Yes. It is irrelevant.

The evidence indicates you are wrong. There are thousands of instances where companies and the environment would have been a lot better off if the company had been ecologically sensitive in the first place. In this immediate area, Celgar and Teck-Cominco's smelter have spent 100s of millions just cleaning up what messes they made and becoming more sensitive to their enivironments. The area around Trail, for sinstance doesn't look like a moonscape anymore. It actually has stuff growing around it.
Yeah, it's irrelevant alright ..... to ignorant people.
It's simple, be clean to begin with and you don't have to waste time and money cleaning up later.

But anyway, Harpy is only interested in the business aspect and doesn't seem to care much about Canadian advancements in tech and stuff.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

The environment is relevant. Climate change is relevant only so far as what will have to be done to adapt to changing conditions. But I doubt that's what James means.

Environment is relevant? Not to conservatives. I have not seen Republicans in USA or Conservatives here in Canada support even a single environmental initiative. They invariably come out on the side of Wall Street and the polluters.

Saying environment is relevant is simply a sound bite. After all who can be against clean environment? That would be against ending world hunger or against getting rid of small pox, malaria or typhoid.

But sound bites mean nothing. When a party or a philosophy (conservatism) invariably comes out in support of polluters, invariably opposes any initiative to better the environment, it can be safely said that conservatives and conservatism is viciously anti-environment, no matter what the sound bite.

 

[lone wolf]

Hot air is something we all feel.... It's summer in May.

 

[petros]

Quoting Slim Chance

Yes. It is irrelevant.

90% of the planet's fish are long gone but......

 

[AnnaG]

Hot air is something we all feel.... It's summer in May.

Ah, that's what it was. I felt a short gust of fetid, hot air for a sec, too.

 

[Slim Chance]

90% of the planet's fish are long gone but......

But what?

 

[AnnaG]

But what?

lmao You'd better draw him a picture, Pet. Otherwise he'll think it's part of a natural cycle that has nothing to do with humans.

 

[Extrafire]

Environment is relevant? Not to conservatives. I have not seen Republicans in USA or Conservatives here in Canada support even a single environmental initiative. They invariably come out on the side of Wall Street and the polluters.

Saying environment is relevant is simply a sound bite. After all who can be against clean environment? That would be against ending world hunger or against getting rid of small pox, malaria or typhoid.

But sound bites mean nothing. When a party or a philosophy (conservatism) invariably comes out in support of polluters, invariably opposes any initiative to better the environment, it can be safely said that conservatives and conservatism is viciously anti-environment, no matter what the sound bite.

I know you have to pretend that conservatives don't care about the environment, but that's the kind of BS you have to promote to support your political position. Conservatives are not at all anti environment, they're just opposed to the political initiatives that use phoney environmental causes to advance their agendas, which includes most campaigns by eviro groups which appear to be mostly about raising money for themselves from suckers like youl

 

[MHz]

I wonder if some rich patron could bring a snow-making machine to the rallies, .... $1/ fluffy snowball, slush balls are $100 and $1,000 damage deposit and it comes with a person w/camera to record your every move. The fluffy ones also come in a 6pak.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

I know you have to pretend that conservatives don't care about the environment, but that's the kind of BS you have to promote to support your political position. Conservatives are not at all anti environment, they're just opposed to the political initiatives that use phoney environmental causes to advance their agendas, which includes most campaigns by eviro groups which appear to be mostly about raising money for themselves from suckers like youl

I see, so conservatives are not anti-environment, they simply oppose each and every environmental initiative proposed and invariably side with big business and with polluters. Is that it?

 

[Slim Chance]

I see, so conservatives are not anti-environment, they simply oppose each and every environmental initiative proposed and invariably side with big business and with polluters. Is that it?

No. You've got it all wrong.

Think of it this way; conservatives are the equivalent of a hockey-helmet and the liberal environmental eco-fascists are like the dumb brother that needs the hockey helmet to protect him from running head long into concrete walls.

 

[dumpthemonarchy]

At forum Harper's backers edited out tough questions from students at a university.

Moderators skipped question on Gulf oil spill at Harper forum - The Globe and Mail

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 3:13 PM
Moderators skipped question
on Gulf oil spill at Harper forum

Jane Taber

Raimey Gallant is putting on the record the question she wanted to ask Stephen Harper at a G8/G20 forum Monday but couldn’t because of a process she believes was so stage-managed as to be insulting.

The 30-year-old student from Winnipeg’s Red River College wanted to talk to the Prime Minister about the environment. She wanted to ask about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and she even censored herself by making her question a little tamer in hopes it would be picked. It didn’t happen.

About 120 students from across Canada participated in the 45-minute session, which was moderated by Senator Mike Duffy, a former broadcaster. Not one question on the environment was asked and a question on the G8 maternal health initiative did not include any mention of safe access to abortion.

Rather, the majority of questions dealt with the economy and the post-recession recovery – an issue that Mr. Harper says is the focus of his caucus and cabinet. One student even asked Mr. Harper what he likes best about his job.

Anything beyond the economy, including issues frequently covered by the national media, is a “sideshow,” the Prime Minster said.

“The whole sideshow thing, I think that insulted me the most,” Ms. Raimey told The Globe today. “I was really upset by that. I find it extremely insulting because we are Canadians, too, and these issues are important to us. If our Prime Minister thinks they are sideshows – I mean this isn’t a government of one.”

And so what was to be a frank exchange of ideas between Canada’s next leaders backfired on the Prime Minister. The story that’s emerged from the session is one of tightly controlling the message as it seems the questions were submitted in advance to the Prime Minister’s Office. PMO officials, however, deny they rewrote or reworked the questions.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff jumped on this during his speech at a fundraising dinner in Toronto last night. “I ask you to dwell on this scene,” he said. “A prime minister of Canada not being able to have unscripted conversation with young Canadians. … Don’t you find it disappointing? I find it disappointing that the prime minister can’t meet Canadian young people and take unscripted questions.”

Calling the scene “pretty weird stuff,” Mr. Ignatieff said it goes to Mr. Harper’s character, who is “so insecure that he has to control everything including the unscripted encounter with his fellow citizens.”

Ms. Gallant, who concedes she is not a Conservative supporter, has been in Ottawa for several days as part of the G8/G20 National Youth Caucus. Like other participants, she was asked to submit questions last Friday for the Monday. Here’s what she proposed:

“In light of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the reluctance of the companies involved to accept responsibility, what new control measures for oil drillers will the Canadian government put in place to reduce the risk of oil spills in Canadian waters, and ensure the continuance of our marine ecosystems and the sustainability of our fisheries?”

She said she tried to put an “economic slant” on it, hoping that it would be answered. But it wasn’t to be.

She wasn’t the only one disappointed, either. Two students interviewed by Le Devoir, who did not want their names used, told the Quebec newspaper the questions they posed to the Prime Minister were re-written by his team.
They pointed in particular to the lone question on maternal health. “The initial question included mention of abortion but it as rewritten to remove the controversial passage,” one of the students indicated, suggesting it was altered by the “people in Stephen Harper’s office.”

For her part, Ms. Raimey doesn’t believe questions were rewritten by PMO officials, but she does believe the Mr. Harper’s officials had the final word over which questions were asked. As a result, she says she doesn’t want to continue her involvement in the youth forum.

With a report from Liem Vu in Toronto