Devine notes

Cool to be green, but ...

Yes, it is cool to be green these days. Everyone wants to do something to protect the environment, both locally and on a global scale.

Expect the environment to continue to be a dominant issue in the election campaign. Perhaps not as big as it was last year, when the economy and gas prices didn’t command so much attention, but it will still be a significant topic of conservation and debate.

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion is hanging his hat, and his politic fortunes, on his environmental policy, the Green Shift, which proposes a carbon tax which, Dion says, would be refunded to Canadians through income-tax breaks.

Prime Minister Harper and the Tories are skewering Dion over his environment plan, claiming it will ‘damage’ Canadians; the Prime Minister actually said it would "screw" Canadians.

But the debate over the Green Shift does beg the question over how far Canadians, who profess a desire for measures to protect the environment, are prepared to go.

Canadians, per capita, are among the worst polluters in the world, ranking somewhere around seventh among industrialized countries. Partly, that’s due to geography, as climate plays a large role in how much energy we waste. But it’s also a benchmark in our attitudes about our use of pollution-causing sources.

Are we prepared to pay significantly more for energy to ‘save the planet?’ It’s rather easy to recycle, reduce and divert household waste, especially when those programs are part of municipal services. It’s another story when the bank account takes a direct hit from higher energy costs.

The Conservatives are banking on voters being uncomfortable with the costs of big, comprehensive plans like the Green Shift. But if Canadians are serious about protecting the environment, it will take more than sorting waste between blue and green bins.

The debate over the environment, and how that plays out in supports, will go a long way to revealing how far Canadians are prepared to go to protect the environment. 

Well, at least we now know what a puffin is

It’s a tale of two elections.

In one, history is in the making. Old prejudices and fears are tumbling and the conscience, imagination and resolve of a nation are awakening from a deep slumber.

In the other, the wooden man squares off against the backpack guy in a bid to win an election no one really wants, except for wooden man who wants more pegs than he won last time out.

The backpack guy is going along for the ride to show voters, his own party and the wooden guy that he is made of sterner stuff than previously thought. Taliban Jack and the jolly green May are putting their best foot forward.

If you had a choice in which election to vote, wouldn’t you pick the history making one? Alas, we are stuck with the one we have. But fear not. Our election is a hell of a lot funnier than the one south of the border.

Think not? How about the great puffin caper? Apparently, the puffin has some sort of celebrity status in Newfoundland/Labrador. Who knew? Well thanks to an animated bird on a Conservative website dropping a ‘hello how are you’ on the shoulder of hapless Dion, we are now well aware of the puffin and what it means to Newfoundland in general, and Danny Williams in particular.

Seems Danny has taken some offence to the Tories’ callous use of a treasured provincial icon. There he was, at a press conference, denouncing the Tories and calling on all and sundry to vote ABC (Anything But Conservative), while some poor sap paraded about in a puffin suit.

Good political theatre, yes. Hilarious, absolutely! 

Week one of the election also produced Dion’s explanation of his language troubles. Seems he can’t hear the ‘music’ of the English tongue, and that leads to mispronunciations, jumbled phrasings and mangled meanings.

Geez, if perfect linguistic ability were all that important to Canadians, Jean Chrétien would never have become the ‘little guy’ who shot from the heart, and occasionally from the hip.

Perhaps it’s not how Dion says it, but rather what he has to say. If he had a message voters longed to hear, they’d understand him no matter how tortured the delivery.

No recitation of the comic elements of our election would be complete without mentioning the PM’s sweaters and declarations of being just an ordinary family guy.

Forgive me if I’m wrong, but no one ever inferred ‘Steve’ was anything other than a standup family man. He just has an image as stiff and reserved as a Victorian vicar, and it’s unlikely any amount of warm and fuzzy sweaters will change that.

However, stranger things have happened. Maybe we don’t really know Steve after all.

Hands down, the knee-slapper prize goes to Williams and the cavorting puffin. South of the border, they’re making history. Here, we like to keep it light and breezy – and funny. Actually, maybe we’re on to something.

What will they do for Ontario?

Meet the new boss. He’s not the same as the old boss.

Once upon a time, not that many years ago, premiers of Ontario proudly bore the moniker of Captain Canada, an apt title considering the consensus-finding, nation-building approach the province’s leaders took to the often contentious national issues of their day.

An enlightened view, perhaps. But it was also a self-serving tactic, as largely what was good for Canada was good for Ontario. Those were the days when Ontario was unquestionably king of the hill, with huge benefits of Confederation flowing its way, so it was easy to take the high road.

Times have changed. Manufacturing jobs, the mainstay of the province’s economy, are bleeding away in the face of high energy costs, a strong dollar and a wilting American economy. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is envious of the province-first support his peers have in other regions of the country. He’s openly asking Ontario residents to give him the same edge as he negotiates with the feds for a ‘better deal’ for Ontario.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, and a jarring sight to see the premier go cap in hand, but Ontario is no longer the fat cat of the land. The old milk cow has seen better days. Not only is its industrial power fading, its political muscle is slipping away, as the ‘centre’ moves west. Times have changed.

So when the premier says Ontario residents should ask federal candidates and leaders what they plan to do for Ontario, he has a point. Other Canadians expect an answer to that question in relation to their provinces, so why not residents of this province?

What, specifically, should voters ask candidates about?
Start with equalization, that federal program designed to ensure common standards for basic social services across the land. Ontario contributes billions more than what it gets back, some estimates put it as high as $20 billion a year, even as services rise in other provinces, at times beyond the level of what residents in this province receive.

Economists say that within a few years, Ontario will be a have-not province. This will create the ludicrous situation of Ontario receiving equalization payments, the bulk of which it supplies to the federal treasury.

McGuinty also wants the feds to increase employment insurance benefits paid to Ontarians to national levels. He wants funding of the Canada Health Transfer to be done on a per capita basis, immediately, rather than in 2014-15, as is now the plan. And he seeks a regional development plan for Ontario’s industries, arguing every other region in Canada has such a program.

Ontario has a great natural resource: its people. Mobilized, they are a powerful force, able to influence and direct national policies. When candidates come calling, it’s okay to ask not only what have done for Ontario, but also what they plan to do for Ontario.