Natural Gases

If you, like me, missed the electoral debates recently, click here to read about them/watch them. Here are some general statements on the environment from each of the major political parties (i.e. not the Green Party).


Conservative:
"Our tax credit for transit users will put hard-earned dollars back in the pockets of Canadians, and at the same time help our environment, … [t]his will be a real incentive that encourages more people to take public transit which, in turn, means fewer cars on the roads and cleaner air… This family-friendly policy allows parents to claim the tax credit on behalf of dependent children, and one spouse can claim the credit on behalf of another. The tax credit will apply to all transit passes, whether annual, monthly or weekly, and also to other fare payment options."

Liberal:
"Our comprehensive approach uses the full range of policy instruments – market mechanisms, new tax measures, incentives for businesses and consumers. It also spurs innovation, introduces a balance of regulatory and voluntary measures, and examines all existing federal climate change programs to redirect funding to the most effective measures. It is estimated that the approaches outlined in the plan, with an associated federal investment of $10 billion through 2012, could reduce GHG emissions by about 270 megatonnes annually in the 2008-2012 period."

NDP:
"In this election, we’re going to be spelling out a detailed plan to get back on track in protecting our environment. Here are some of the key elements of our plan:
A tough new Clean Air Act to include a commitment to a 25% reduction of greenhouse gases by year 2020.
A tough new Clean Water Act.
A tough new Polluter Pay Act.
A comprehensive home retrofit plan, to reduce energy consumption while improving people’s comfort and cutting their home heating bills

….voluntary rules for polluters …have never worked"

In summary, the conservatives think that 'environment' is about bus passes. On Kyoto, they say that the protocol is 'fatally flawed', i.e. the American mantra. I will not say that it is not fatally flawed, though I don't like their attitude. I think the Liberals have the right approach, but thus far it has produced shitty results. NDP don't seem to have any actual plan. Apparently they intend to cease funding for nuclear power plants, which indicates that they don't have any actual plan, because no actual plan could exclude nuclear. Though in many ways their platform reflects what some environmentalists want. So in even briefer summary, here are the fundamental positions:

Conservatives: advance incrementally while keeping the public pacified
Liberals: let the market take care of it
NDP: aggresive approach, though unrealistic

Another version of the above statements is available from CBC here.