Caught in a massive wedgie administered today by Canada's environment commissioner, Harper's part-time EnviroMin, John "Gaping Maw" Baird wasted no time covering his tracks with green bullshit.
Commissioner Scott Vaughan blasted the Tories for not even having the basic information they would need to begin dealing with the impacts of global warming already spreading through Canada.
Lard arse Baird replied that the Harpies are working furiously to address Mr. Vaughan's concerns.
Environment Canada, Mr. Baird added, has spent more than $140-million on water-related programs and science in the past year. And the government has invested $85.9-million to better understand the impacts of climate change on our health, infrastructure and northern communities, he said.
“For example,” the minister said, “Environment Canada's climate science research program is tightly integrated with global efforts to ensure that our country has the best available climate change and climate variability information available.”
Anybody who will take John Baird on his word on this is an idiot or else simply likes the taste of bullshit. Three years ago Harper acknowledged global warming as the greatest threat facing mankind and then promptly turned his back on the issue.
The Harpies were also slammed for an utter lack of preparedness to deal with oil spills on our coasts. Baird danced around this one by claiming "when emergencies occur the National Marine Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Regime provides the capacity for an effective response to oil spills in Canadian waters." He's going to fight an oil spill with a "regime"? No, no, no, you loudmouth jerk, you fight oil spills with ready ships and pre-deployed, very expensive equipment. So where are these ships, where are their crews, where is all that equipment? Oh what was I thinking? I forgot, we've got a "regime" instead.
Meanwhile CBC News reports that Climate Action Network Europe and Germanwatch have ranked Canada as the fourth worst out of 57 nations in helping to halt climate change. The only countries worse are Saudi Arabia in dead last, Kazakhstan at 56th, Australia 55th followed by Canada with an impressive 54th place. If you need proof that Baird is just flinging green bullshit, there it is.
Greenpeace reported recently that in 2008, federal and provincial subsidies to oil companies totalled 2.8B (1.6B going to the Tar Sands), while Environment Canada's budget was 1.1B. If these subsidies were cut or even reduced, we might be able to take some serious action to prepare for oil spills and climate change. That's obviously not what the Cons are planning.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderment.. There is a Canadian company working in Costa Rica in open pit mining for gold. The company faught the environmentalist for 17 years for the right to mine. Now, the pit has collasped due to huge amounts of rain and large amounts of toxic chemicals have drained into the near by river contaminating fish and also the ground water. This company whose name escapes me at the moment, is now fighting the environmental community to open another open mining pit close by. When Canadian laws go after sex offenders in other countries, why is it they turn a blind eye to what Canadian companies are doing in foreign countries? Also, if Canadian companies are allowed to carry on in this fashion in other countries, a person doesn't have to wonder why the Canadian government at home takes the stance it does. This has been all over South Korean news. Anyong
ReplyDeleteCosta Rica was a favourite destination for many British Columbia-based mining operations when our last NDP government cracked down on their environmental excesses. The right wing types bawled their eyes out over it. So down they went to Central and South America and picked up where they left off.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately they're companies that operate under the sovereign authority of their host countries. Just as we can't regulate former North American industries for the emissions they cause now from China, we have no right to meddle in these Latin American countries' affairs.
Since these companies refer to themselves as being Canadian, do they pay taxes to the Canadian Government?
ReplyDeleteThat's a complex question and it depends on a great many circumstances. My guess is that there is a very small tax contribution on income and assets amassed abroad and never returned to Canada.
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