1
October 2008 - Ottawa, Canada — In an unprecedented
move by non-governmental organizations,
Greenpeace and Sierra Club Canada joined
together today to urge voters to vote against
the Harper Conservatives in the October
14th federal election.
Environment questionnaire
Party responses
"If you care for
the environment and want action on global
warming, don't vote Conservative,"
said Bruce Cox, executive director of Greenpeace
Canada, at a news conference on Parliament
Hill.
The organizations base
their position on the Conservatives' environmental
record in government, and their failure
to commit to a minimum 25 per cent cut in
greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The Bloc
Québécois, Green Party, Liberal
Party and NDP have all signed on to the
targets identified by the KYOTOplus campaign
to strengthen and extend the Kyoto Protocol.
See the questions and
party responsesThe Conservatives have been
widely criticized around the world for their
focus on reducing greenhouse gases through
intensity-based targets. And at last year's
United Nations climate talks in Bali, Indonesia,
the Canadian delegation's attempts to block
an international consensus on global warming
isolated Canada and nearly derailed the
talks.
"This election
represents a critical turning point,"
said Stephen Hazell, executive director
of Sierra Club Canada. "While the Conservative
government has failed to show leadership
on climate change all other parties agree
that deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
are necessary, and that the pricing of these
emissions is essential if these reductions
are to be achieved."
Cox says the Conservatives
are choosing to ignore the best available
scientific evidence: "When the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change says we need to
reduce our greenhouse gas emissions 25 per
cent by 2020, and the Conservatives offer
a plan at three per cent reductions, there
can be no doubt that they are being wilfully
ignorant of the facts."
Next year, the world
will gather in Copenhagen to decide what
a post-Kyoto climate treaty will look like.
The UN climate change conference is widely
anticipated to be a historic watershed in
the fight against global warming.
"If the Conservatives
are re-elected, Canadians must expect that
we will lag the rest of the world—even the
United States—in meeting our commitments
to fight climate change," said Hazell.
Greenpeace and Sierra
Club Canada are urging voters not to vote
Conservative in this election, and instead
to vote for parties that are willing to
take action on climate change. They released
the responses to a joint questionnaire on
the environment sent to all political parties
to assist voters in their choice. The Conservatives
did not provide any response.
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Greenpeace campaigner
roughed up, tossed from Harper campaign
event
1 October 2008 - Toronto,
Canada — A Greenpeace campaign coordinator
was roughed up outside an event for Prime
Minister Harper as he tried to display a
sign reading "Stop Global Warming:
Support KYOTOplus".
Activists were at the
event to peacefully protest the lack of
action by the government on global warming
Dave Martin, climate
and energy coordinator with Greenpeace,
was knocked to the ground by security officials,
pinned down, handcuffed and taken to a police
car. Laura Severinac from Greenpeace was
also detained. Both were released an hour
later without charge, after Harper departed
the campaign stop at Tory headquarters in
the west-Toronto riding of Etobicoke North.
The manhandling of Martin
came on the same day that Greenpeace launched
its own election push to encourage Canadians
to elect a federal government that will
take meaningful action to stop global warming.
"Stephen Harper
can't hide the truth that he refuses to
take the climate change crisis seriously,"
said Martin.
Greenpeace wants to
see a government ready to take action on
climate change in place before the world
gathers next year in Copenhagen to decide
on a post-Kyoto climate treaty. Greenpeace
and 30 other groups have called for a strengthening
and extension of the Kyoto Protocol – KYOTOplus.
The UN climate change conference is widely
anticipated to be a historic watershed in
the fight against global warming. The government
elected on October 14th will represent Canada
on this world stage.
Before the election,
the leaders of all four opposition parties
signed a pledge to support the KYOTOplus
targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by at least 25 per cent from 11000 levels
by 2020. Only Prime Minister Harper refused
to sign. His government set a 2020 target
that is less than three per cent below 11000
levels.
"The next federal
government will make decisions on global
warming that will affect an entire generation
of Canadians," said Martin "This
election will determine whether Canada supports
a strong, post-Kyoto treaty through to 2020,
or whether our children will be left to
mop up our mess."
