CCCE Reading from the Green Party Playbook
On October 1st the Canadian Council of Chief Executives released a paper entitled Clean Growth: Building a Canadian Environmental Superpower that bears a lot of similarity to Green Party policies specifically the Green Party Climate Plan:A New Energy Revolution to Avert Climate Catastrophe released on June 5, 2007. Green Party leader Elizabeth May has already praised the report saying, “We applaud the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) for pointing out the need for immediate action on global warming,” in an Oct 2nd press release.
My good friend Vanessa pointed out to me last night, “when something is in quotes you need to look up the source.” She is absolutely right and I invite you to read both. I would like to highlight one passage of note though.
Tackling our environmental challenge will have costs for governments, businesses and individuals, and we should not pretend otherwise. Those costs can be managed through smart and well-timed policies and by harnessing the best of Canadian innovation. But we should be clear about the implications of the choices we make — today and for the future — and be sure that we are on the best path for realizing the many opportunities that flow from environmentally sustainable development. We will not build a successful national strategy by downplaying the likely costs and impacts, for that would only breed cynicism and create a public backlash when the true costs become known.
That means that governments need to be honest with the citizens, (a novel idea to be sure.) Which means no more faked up reports showing that fighting climate change will result in economic ruin. No more pointing fingers at your predecessors. No more pretending that anything less than absolute targets will work.
Only the Green Party has been honest about both the problem and the solution, (and its attendant costs and benefits.) I encourage all Canadians to remember that during the next General election.
One more quick note. Among the CCCEs practical recommendations are:
- Absolute emission reduction targets
- a carbon tax coupled with tax relief in other sectors
- an effective carbon trading system
- long term planning
- for Canada to become an energy and environmental superpower
That sure sounds like the Green Party message from where I sit.