December 14, 2006
A lesson for those thinking about supporting the Green Party...
Elizabeth May:
Jim Harris was willing to support energy deregulation because it encouraged the use of alternative energy sources by offering consumers to choose solar power, micro-turbines, etc. There is no doubt that energy deregulation encourages this and allows consumers to say "I want solar power to save the environment."
Elizabeth May is not. She is for regulated power despite the fact that it has a terrible environmental track record. There is no incentive for protecting the environment. When governments want to spend more money on health care or schools the easiest way to do so is to switch to a cheaper, dirtier energy source.
The fact that Elizabeth May doesn’t care means that she puts her quest for global socialism above that of the environment. Jim Harris was a true environmentalist who, while wanting to keep our economy working, really did want to reduce carbon emissions.
Another test is the ICON pipeline - the only workable idea right now that is able to reduce CO2 emissions by any measurable amount. What it would also do is take the big oil sands projects off the hook for emissions. Jim Harris supports it. Elizabeth May does not. One cares about CO2 emissions, one does not. Do not confuse the two.
- was a party leader getting national attention (and LOTS of it!)
- ran in a riding with a huge student/professor population
- contested a by-election, where the results didn't really matter
- ran at a time when the environment is actually a prominent issue
Jim Harris was willing to support energy deregulation because it encouraged the use of alternative energy sources by offering consumers to choose solar power, micro-turbines, etc. There is no doubt that energy deregulation encourages this and allows consumers to say "I want solar power to save the environment."
Elizabeth May is not. She is for regulated power despite the fact that it has a terrible environmental track record. There is no incentive for protecting the environment. When governments want to spend more money on health care or schools the easiest way to do so is to switch to a cheaper, dirtier energy source.
The fact that Elizabeth May doesn’t care means that she puts her quest for global socialism above that of the environment. Jim Harris was a true environmentalist who, while wanting to keep our economy working, really did want to reduce carbon emissions.
Another test is the ICON pipeline - the only workable idea right now that is able to reduce CO2 emissions by any measurable amount. What it would also do is take the big oil sands projects off the hook for emissions. Jim Harris supports it. Elizabeth May does not. One cares about CO2 emissions, one does not. Do not confuse the two.
