Ships at Sea

Preston Manning claims the economy is the big issue and urges Canadians to vote for Stephen Harper, the leader Manning feels is the one best able to pilot our “ship of state” during this stormy time. [1] Mr. Manning should take some Gravol. At election time, we’re always told the economy is the issue.

This time around, no matter what happens with the markets, the environment is the big issue. And on this matter, Mr. Harper is the last person we want at the helm. He’ll sink us with his aspirational, intensity based polices. On October 14 there is only one question for Canadians: carbon tax or cap and trade? For me, it’s a carbon tax.

[1] The Globe and Mail, October 6, 2008

Election Issues

On the subject of the environment, many of the best minds on the issue are calling for a war like response. Mr. Harper on the other hand prefers the misguided approach: decreasing the tax on jet fuel and diesel is his latest offering.

He is obviously playing to the numbers. The environment has fallen to a distant third as an election issue, pushed back most recently by the economy, which has been stumbling of late due to the sub-prime debacle in the United States (“Economy on minds of most voters, not the environment,” The Edmonton Journal, Sept. 22).

As a consequence, Mr. Harper assumes – and with reason – that the average voter would rather put off any meaningful action on the environment. But postponing action on the environment because of the economy is like postponing fundamental repairs to a house because the SUV needs a tune up.

We need to reconsider the environment. This issue, too, threatens to blow up in our face, and if it does it’ll make the sub-prime mess look like an air bubble.