The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep - Robert Frost
ohh Canada. Even Hugo Chavez was pointing the blame finger to Canada last night. We canadians are going to be forever greyed the way we are being represented on the international stage. Remember the good old days when we traveled with a Canadian Flag and we were welcome everywhere; those days will be over after Copenhagen! Here’s a story to tell your grandma and kids: Canada won the Fossil of the Year award ! The award was received by Stephen Harper, albeit in an Oxfam giant head for media all over the world.
“Canada has made zero progress here on financing, offering nothing for the short term or the long term beyond vague platitudes. And in last night’s high-level segment, Canada’s environment minister gave a speech so lame that it didn’t include a single target, number or reference to the science.
Canada’s performance here in Copenhagen builds on two years of delay, obstruction and total inaction. This government thinks there’s a choice between environment and economy, and for them, tar sands beats
climate every time. Canada’s emissions are headed nowhere but up. For all this and more, we name Canada the Colossal Fossil.”
Small committee meetings were hosted until 2 pm and Obama has been locked in a room with Chinese Representatives most of the evening; all we can do is Hopenhagen than Copenhagnen doesn’t end as Brokenhagen eh…
Thanks for keeping us up to date on Copenhagen each day Melanie. It was good to get an honest view that was neither cynical nor jaded but hopeful that the delegates were there to make an honest effort to solve the climate change problems. Unfortunately short-sighted self-interest ruled the day.
It is also unfortunate that Canada’s once good reputation has been eroded on a number of fronts, not only our failure to live up to our Kyoto commitment or our Fossil of the Year Award for our abysmal commitment in Copenhagen, but also a number of other shifts in our behaviour away from being world citizens. I name here just two:
-the failure of the current government to support the private members bill C-300 in parliament to require corporate responsibility on the part of Canadian mining companies operating overseas. Just last week, former employees of a Canadian mining company were arrested for the murder of a social justice advocate in Chiapas Mexico. This is the most recent in a long string of problems involving Canadian mining companies.
-the government’s recent denial of CIDA funding to Kairos, an ecumenical social justice group that worked at a grass-roots level in many developing countries. Could the fact that KAIROS was critical of the government’s on going support for tar sands expansion have anything to do with the cuts to their funding?
In the end, it would be easy to become cynical and lose hope over Copenhagen, but we must avoid that at all cost, and continue to be people of hope. Change ultimately has to come from individuals, and the fact that our government has not done its part just points to how much more important our individuals acts become.
Bah! It was obvious Harper didn’t give a hoot about the environment when he originally appointed his bulldog John Baird as Minister of the Env’t (the same JB that was earlier busted by a reporter for leaving his truck idling outside a restaurant for 1.5hrs “to keep it warm”) These meetings have confirmed this, and have thoroughly embarrassed our nation.
There is however ways to step around the conservative’s ‘authority’. Look at what Arnold the Governator has done in California after the US refused to sign Kyoto. We should push our premiers and mayors who have spoken out against Harper’s policy. See if its all hot political air, or a real sense of moral obligation to the health and diversity of our planet
Thanks for all of the updates Melanie. Very informative.
Congratulations on all that you are doing Melanie!! Keep up the great work!