“Since when does Canada burden our grandchildren instead of building for them?” Liberal leader Justin Trudeau asked in the daily Commons question period.
New Climate Policy for Canada – Leave the Problem for our Grandchildren.
The Harper government has released its 2015 pre-election budget. But despite being over 500 pages in length, there’s not a single reference to climate change. But wait! There is an implicit, perhaps well concealed, climate policy if one reads between the many lines of the budget document.
This long-awaited climate policy was released by Minister of Finance Joe Oliver as he responded to journalists. “I heard by 2080 we may have a problem. Well, why don’t we leave that to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s granddaughter to solve that problem?” So there you are, the long-awaited strategy on tackling climate change. It was worth the wait. Pretty impressive!
I’m the grandfather of four “grand” children. I, and millions of other Canadians, do not want to pass on problems we have created to future generations. That would be grossly irresponsible and morally reprehensible. The covenant has always been to leave the world a little better than you found it. Clearly Mr. Oliver has never heard of this unwritten rule. Or perhaps he has no children or grandchildren of his own. If he does, I feel sorry for them.
His remark about Mr. Harper’s future granddaughter is in poor taste. He is most certainly a very poor communicator but even more importantly he’s ignorant of the climate science. Is he not aware that Canada has been a laggard in international climate talks? And is he not aware that Canada is under pressure to act on climate by the United Nations and the entire international community? 
A recent poll conducted by the David Suzuki Foundation shows that 98 percent of Canadians believe nature is essential to our survival and 64 percent say government should enforce strong standards to protect the environment.
I was one of the 25,000 marchers in the “Act on Climate” march in Quebec City on April 11th. The call for action on climate was loud and clear in Quebec and will be a critical issue in this election year.
Passing the buck to our grandchildren will not work Mr. Oliver. Canadians do not expect future generations to clean up the mess created by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.We are now in an election year, the campaigning is already underway. I and millions of other Canadians will do everything in their power to discourage voters from supporting Stephen Harper’s Conservatives.
The Harper government has destroyed much of what is precious and dear to Canadians – our history of environmental stewardship, our world class scientific research, our democratic rights and principles and most importantly, the notion of truth.
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Rolly Montpellier is the Founder and Managing Editor of BoomerWarrior.Org. He’s a Climate Reality leader, a blogger and a Climate Activist. Rolly has been published widely – Toronto Star, The Hill Times, Kingston Whig, the PEN, UnpublishedOttawa, Climate Change Guide, World Daily, Examiner, The Canadian, 350Ottawa, ClimateMama, MyEarth360, GreenDivas, The Elephant, Countercurrents, County Weekly News.
He’s a member of Climate Reality Canada, Citizens’ Climate Lobby (Ottawa) and 350.Org (Ottawa). You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin
The Fossil Barons are quick to point out the dilemma of their “stranded assets” following environmental constraints on polluting the commons. The flip side is the “stranded assets” currently incurred by “We the People” with the mitigation costs of increasing forest firers, floods, storms, sea level rise, agriculture loses, acidified oceans, even lives should steps not be made stranding those fossil “assets” while there is still a chance for the survival of the kidders. You think?
The Guardian has a great campaign underway to “keep it in the ground”
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/series/keep-it-in-the-ground