Tory Environmentalism

[bcholmes]

Quebec's government gives up on the Harper government's environmental policy.

Turns out dragging five ministers to Vancouver for an announcement about a plan to announce a consultation was not the way to regain the big tent-broadening mo.

— Paul Wells

I've been watching the Conservatives actions w.r.t. the environment with a bit of fascination. Certainly, the environment has been a hot topic for the last six months, and as some have noted, it's an area in which the Conservatives are vulnerable. People are talking as if a new election is going to happen this spring, and if so, I think the Conservatives will be attacked on these points:

1. The Afghan mission is not going well
2. Harper is too close to the Bush administration
3. The sum total of the Conservative record on the environment is to ditch the Kyoto accord

I think that Harper is still vulnerable on the first point, but he's clearly taking steps to make himself look good on the second two points. First, Harper's new "tough phone call" to Bush about Arar is, in my opinion, designed to make him look suitably distanced from the Bush administration.

Also, there have been a number of plans to make plans regarding the environment: the vehicle emission standards (which is ideally designed to drive a wedge between the NDP and the auto unions), and now this environmental plan.

Key question: what is the best strategy for revealing the smoke and mirrors for what they are?

Comments

[nexstarman.livejournal.com]

What will Ignatieff or Rae start saying about the issues when they get in? Or Kennedy for that matter?

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

Key question: what is the best strategy for revealing the smoke and mirrors for what they are?

Wait for nothing to happen...

Sadly the election will probably be called before the nothing happens : (

[enevarim]

This doesn't help at all, but your thoughts on the third point remind me of the cynical conversation between the Cabinet Secretary and former Cabinet Secretary in an early episode of "Yes Prime Minister":

Sir Arnold: "I presume the Prime Minister is in favour of this scheme because it will reduce unemployment?"
Sir Humphrey: "Well, it looks as if he's reducing unemployment."
Sir Arnold: "Or looks as if he's trying to reduce unemployment."
Sir Humphrey: "Whereas in reality he's only trying to look as if he's trying to reduce unemployment."
Sir Arnold: "Yes, because he's worried that it does not look as if he's trying to look as if he's trying to reduce unemployment."

[kat-chan.livejournal.com]

Gee, funny how south of the border noone really hears about the Arar case. Sure, it's mentioned from time to time on one of the Sunday Shows, or some other show discussing the "War on Terror", but really, I bet fewer than 10% of Americans would know anything about it. We know nothing of the "tough phone call". And Bush has a tendency to come off like "now that we have a PM in Canada that we can work with..." So, yeah, on this side of the the border Harper still looks quite cozy with Bush.

And while the GOP has tried to drive a wedge between the Democrats and the unions, it's not like the unions have anyone else to turn to. I wonder if the unions in Canada really think that they'd be able to get what they want from the Liberals? They're probably in a situation where it's "we're with the NDP because who else do we have to turn to?"