Faux Green vs. Faux Green
Alright already.
Conservatives: You mocked anyone who tried to give a damn about the environment but changed your tune just a few months ago when public opinion shifted against you on the environment file.
Liberals: You had the chance to try to change our behaviour towards the environment and you barely lifted a finger.
Conclusion: YOU'VE BOTH SUCKED since 1993 on this issue. Can you all now admit your mistakes, quit your sniping, and move on to doing something actually constructive?
2 comments:
I don't quite buy the Conservative argument that the Liberals have been useless since 1993 - or more accurately, I don't buy the suggestion that most people have cared about the environment for that long and the Liberals tried but did nothing.
In 1993 global warming and the environment had nothing close to the widespread public concern of today.
In 1993 people cared about jobs, jobs, health care, jobs, NAFTA, the GST, and... oh yeah, jobs. The country was just coming out of recession, national unemployment was hovering just above 10%, it was above 40% in some places in Atlantic Canada. Chretien ran on a platform of economic growth, eliminating the deficit, maintaining health care, renegotiating NAFTA and eliminating the GST. You'll note those latter two weren't done, but you'll also note the environment was no where to be seen.
Through the '90 the issues continued to be the deficit and economic growth while health care became Canadians overwhelming number one priority. And there was that whole problem of Quebec separation to deal with. Then the war on terror started.
With the budget balanced, economic growth doing well, health care stabilized, and Quebec nationalism floundering, and no further 9/11 level attacks, people have seriously turned to the environment during the last three years. The Liberals started making the environment an issue, maybe in 2002.
Its a little disingenuous for the Conservatives to suggest the Liberals have been working at climate change for 13 years.
It would also take some creative memory work for most people to believe that they cared as much about global warming in 1993, or 1995, or 2001 as they do today.
While the indifference of the majority of the population is always a part of the blame, after the Liberals signed the Accord, little came of it. And while the issue was sidetracked with economy, unity, etc., the blame still lay at their feet because they were in charge at the time.
That's not to say that the Conservatives did everything in their power to try to get the environment onto the agenda. Because they didn't, they were the opposite, and I agree with you there.
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