As part two in a special series on the Canadian federal elections, green pundit Kevin Farmer and host Jordan Poppenk review the environmental platforms of the major political parties. This week, we speak in depth about the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party of Canada.
We feature a discussion with environmentalist David Suzuki from earlier this year about the environment in Canadian federal politics. A number of his predictions have already come true, including the environment falling off the top of the agenda in light of the financial scare and the political strategies of the major political parties (originally aired April 26, 2008).
Headlines in brief:
The former head of Canada’s nuclear safety watchdog has resigned from the board of directors after more public clashes with the government;
A U.S.-Canada compact banning water diversions in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River has been signed by the U.S. House of Representatives;
A CBC report reveals Quebec’s Environment Ministry knew for 5 years that a Pratt & Whitney plant was dumping sewage into the St. Laurence;
BC Premier Gordon Campbell is facing intense opposition from municipalities over the province’s unpopular carbon tax;
Liberal leader Stephane Dion announced that a federal Liberal carbon tax would be harmonized with the existent BC tax to avoid double payment;
A new poll finds that Canadians are equally trusting of Stephen Harper and Stephane Dion on environmental policy.
Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe has called for a high-speed train between Quebec City and Montreal;
Montreal has unveiled an ambitious self-service bicycle system named Bixi involving 2400 bikes at 300 stations.
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As part one in a special series on the Canadian federal elections, green pundit Kevin Farmer and host Jordan Poppenk review the environmental platforms of the major political parties. This week, we speak in depth about the New Democratic Party and the Green Party of Canada.
As en epilogue to last week’s tar sands episode, we pursue two often overlooked tar sands projects: refining and pipeline construction. Natural Resources Defence Council spokesman Josh Mogerman speaks with host Jordan Poppenk about the impact of refinery retoolings in the US that are intended to accept product from the Canadian tar sands. We also replay a discussion with Stephen Hazel from the Sierra Club of Canada about the impact of the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline.
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Any policy discussion comes straight back to the tar sands, Canada’s economic jewel - and environmental nightmare. On today’s episode, to give you the backstory on this troubling topic, we dedicate the program to a profile of Canada’s tar sands. We feature two of the most insightful speakers to have spoken on this program about Canada’s oil dilemma: one, a young activist, who describes his physical journey through Athabasca; the other, a Calgary journalist, who delivers a Canadian addendum to Al Gore’s famous slideshow.
Headlines in brief:
The Canadian election campaign has begun and the major parties have unveiled their environmental priorities;
Hundreds of birds have been killed following a spill by Harvey Energy Trust, a Calgary-based oil firm;
Ottawa has pleaded guilty for failing to notify the Ministry of Environment of a massive sewage spill in 2006;
Ottawa has tabled a new plan for a light rail system connecting the city’s east end to the downtown core;
A new report by the Ontario government suggests widespread clear-cutting old-growth forests in the Temagami region is a possibility;
Business leaders, environmentalists, academics and four former prime ministers are demanding the country do more to tackle climate change;
The world’s first “clean coal” plant has opened in Germany;
A UN study has documented $300 billion in combined global spending on energy subsidies, or nearly 1 percent of global GDP, that are inhibiting energy conservation and clean energy development.
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Chris Carlsson, one of the founders of the critical mass movement, speaks and with host Jordan Poppenk about the movement’s origins, growth and current directions. He also introduces his new book, Nowtopia.
Danny Leskiw hosts a debate between Tony Clarke, Director of the Polaris Institute, and John Challinor, Director of Corporate Affairs for Nestle Waters Canada, about the ban on bottled water being implemented in London and proposed in other municipalities.
The headlines in brief:
The Green Party officially obtained its first Member of Parliament after independant Blair Wilson announced he would be taking out a green membership;
Liberal leader Stephane Dion announced changes to his Green Plan that create more exemptions for farmers and forestry workers;
New Brunswick quietly removed an environmental impact assessment requirement that a $7-billion proposed Irving Oil refinery would have to be carbon neutral;
Syncrude Canada Ltd. is suing Greenpeace Canada for $120,000 over a trespassing incident in its Alberta tar sands operations;
Environment Minister John Baird is under fire for ‘playing politics’ and seeking revenge against NGOs after rescinding a $100,000 grant given to the Sierra Club of BC.
The federal Conservative government reversed its position of accommodating British Columbia’s new carbon tax and attacked it for the first time;
Pierson Airport in Toronto broke its all-time record for summer rainfall by nearly 20 percent;
A new report from the BBC notes that a 50 square km Canadian ice shelf has broken off, and that the Canadian Arctic ice is melting quicker than ever before.
New research confirms the infamous “hockey stick” graph showing warmer temperatures over the last decade than any period over the previous 1300 years.
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This week:
