Kyoyo Protocol = Wake-up Call

Today, Canadians shouldn’t feel shame; they should be angry, betrayed and saddened at the diminishment of Canada, at home and around the world, by this government. By their action during the climate change conference in Durban, South Africa.

Every Canadian. Any political affiliation. Any region. Any religion, Any race. Any ability.

Remember this is not the Canadian government, but the ‘Harper government,’ I am just as happy to be distant from this pack of bullies in suits.

I can’t be distant though. These people represent our country, you and me. They speak for us. They should pay some attention to the values that we share. Equality might be a good start. Or environmental responsibility.<>

They don’t even bother to pretend that average Canadians have opinions worth hearing, their pretension to wisdom is so grandiose. 

My anger with this ‘government’ has nothing to do with political parties or, for that matter, policies. It has everything to do with actions that are, to be kind, amoral, embarrassing and simply wrong. It has to do with its arrogant, we-know-best attitude and sneaky lies.

Over the past few weeks, you may have heard the floorboards and foundations cracking. Don't worry, that's only Harper re-aligning the country so when America sits, Canada can hold the chair, pass out menus and fill glasses with water. and be grateful for the opportunity.

Anything for a friend.

What we didn’t hear much was the heated debate from Durban, South Africa -- the unfortunate home to the latest international  meeting (cop 17) aimed at putting life into the Kyoto protocol by agreeing on long-term climate change policies and actions. As I began writing, the protocol was going into rigour mortis.

Apparently, a last moment, on-the-floor consensus was reached. The U.S., China and India, the heaviest polluters, are back.

Tomorrow, who knows?

Is Canada in or out? Probably both. Probably neither. Canada doesn’t have any monetary, moral or good will clout anymore. That happens when you arrive at a conference and declare the issue dead before the first discussion.

The world saw behind Canada's good-guy veneer of peacekeepers and consensus builders. The 'Harper government' was exposed, hopefully not average Canadians, as short-term thinkers in-a-box, who value only what can be measured monetarily.

Canada ratified Kyoto in 2004 and was one of the first signatories six years previous. Now, we want out of this international agreement, when Harper is signing economic and border agreements in his sleep.

When does Canada worm out of good faith international agreements? We’ve kept peacekeepers in places of hell like Rwanda because our commitment to the United Nations is so deep. Ahem, the Kyoto protocol is a United Nations effort.

The urgency to rid our country of Kyoto’s burden is about dollars and cents.

This agreement and curbing climate change are economically illogical.  They are environmentally vital. The economy will undoubtedly be hurt. The oil patch won’t become the oil parch, but it and its many lobbyists will be hurt.

We will have to answer difficult questions. Do we need tar sands development? It’s wildly expensive, creates immense pollution and uses tremendous amounts of fresh water. The Americans obviously want it and believe they need a secure oil supply from a friendly producer.

These politics aside, meeting emission reductions targets will change our lifestyles and this change will be a money-losing proposition. However, lower-emissions living will bring opportunity. Renewable energy. High efficiency housing, Canada is already a world leader.

Hydrogen fuel cells, again Canada is renowned for this technology, which researchers have been working on since the late 1980s. Those efforts are paying off. For example, the mass transportation to and from Whistler during Vancouver’s Olympic games was fuel-cell powered.  

This government knows the bottom line, and everything they do has one. Everything is an economic equation right now. The ‘Harper government’ might be surprised by reality, by the thirst for change, if it looked up from the bottom line now and again.

Do we have to yell, throw a tantrum?

Hey, wake up! It’s not like walking your garbage to the curb and someone else does the rest.

If this is how Canada is going to behave, I say, let’s really do it – take a great leap backward from a fossil-fuel based economy to a fossilised country.

        Terry McDermott                                      revised from jack-with-a-feather blog