Stephane Dion has tabled an opposition motion calling on the prime minister to reaffirm Canada's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
It's a gutsy political move and it's the right one. Stephen Harper has tried to derail the Kyoto debate by disparaging Mr. Dion and ranting, instead, on the previous Liberal government, anything to avoid addressing the great Socialist plot.
The Liberal leader hasn't taken the bait and has shown that he's going to stay on track over the global warming issue which will ultimately force Harper's hand. At the end of the day, Stephen Harper is going to have to actually prove to a skeptical Canadian electorate that he's changed his ways (and his allegiance) and will move decisively on this issue.
3 comments:
I can see how you agree with this move, but how is it gutsy? It has no plan or firm committments, it just asks that the government pay lip service to Kyoto, despite the fact that the deadline is past the date of the next election making this bill completely irrvelevant.
All it does is confirm that Dion likes Kyoto. I want to see a plan. Table your own environmental motion, clean air act, or plan to actually meet Kyoto. It will have to involve sacrifice to meet those targets, and get people talking. That's gutsy. This is posturing. I have no patience for that from any party.
Parliament had to decide what principle will guide any environmental package. This is a good starting point. The NDP has asked that all parties put forward their ideas. Dion has done this with this resolution. We will have to see if Layton, Duceppe and Harper agree with Dion's ideas and whether there have any ideas of their own. It is a good start.
What I meant by "gutsy" was Dion's choice not to get drawn into the personal attacks on him but to stay on message and keep advancing Kyoto. Attack ads really test a candidate's character. John Kerry stumbled over the Swift Boat smear campaign, fell off message and was largely neutralized for the rest of his ill-fated campaign.
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