Gored! Al Calls Harper Green Plan 'Fraud'

by C. L. Cook

A complete and total fraud the self-annointed Green Saviour, former Vice-President Al Gore says of Stephen Harper's Tory 'Green Platform.' Gore's assessment came yesterday after a screening of the celebrated Climate Change documentary, 'An Inconvenient Truth' at an Ontario environmental awareness event.

In attendance were Ontario Premier, Dalton McGuinty and Canada's most famous environmental campaigner, David Suzuki, the latter of which Gore congratulated for his televised confrontation with Canada's newest Environment Minister, John Baird.

 

Mr. Gore praised Dr. Suzuki for taking Environment Minister John Baird to task Friday for the short-comings of the 'New Government's' so-named ''Clean Air Act,' agreeing it doesn't go far enough.

 

Gore's remarks were the proverbial cherry on top of a dismal week for Harper's conservatives. Earlier in the week, Baird's scheduled release of the Tory environmental agenda mysteriously found its way to the opposition MP, David McGuinty's e:mail in-box, in what his office claimed as a clerical error. An assertion as dubious, despite threats to prosecute McGuinty should he release their contents, apparently as the Prime Minister's commitment to serious action on Canada's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction.

Though meant to improve air quality and reduce the harmful levels of CO2 gas emissions, Harper's plan is short on details, something Gore believes is less than honest, saying;

"In my opinion, it is a complete and total fraud. It is designed to mislead the Canadian people.”

Describing the 'New Canadian Government's' environmental stance as "shocking," in the face of global expectations of the country to provide "moral leadership," Gore added a caveat, acknowledging;

Environment Minister Baird's photo-op at the Toronto environmental trade show was delivered a bruising, when he ran into David Suzuki, a keynote speaker, who challenged Baird to "come and see us" to discuss the government's announced policy. Expressing disappointment, Suzuki said the plan fell far short of Tory promises made before and after their election last year, and was "not enough." 

 

The Tories had been quick to jump on the light-bulb change bandwagon begun in Australia, and recently adopted in Ontario, saying as of 2012 retailers will be required to phase out incandescent light bulbs in favour of fluorescents; though environmentalists warn: Those high efficiency, long-lived bulbs contain mercury and pose serious disposal and handling hazards.

Mucking up the image the Tories, who would like to promote themselves as a government with a serious dedication to the natural environment at home and abroad, is Alberta's Tar Sands, the largest single contributor to the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. Harper's government has announced a scheduled trebling of output from the massive project, and says the 'Clean Air Act' contains specific exemptions designed to allow that business carry on as usual in Alberta.