“When Canada’s official representative is so lacking in credibility and accomplished Canadian experts are calling him a liar or incompetent, Canada is in a great deal of trouble.”
Liberal Environment Critic Gerard Kennedy
The Harper government’s record of spin and myth-making about the environment reached a new low as Environment Minister John Baird “earned” Canada a fifth “Fossil of the Day” award at the climate change conference in Cancun yesterday – this time for his claims about his government’s record on clean coal.
To demonstrate just how far Minister Baird has strayed from the truth, Climate Action Network Canada issued a press release yesterday saying Mr. Baird is living in a “fantasy world” and on “vacation from the truth.” (Press Release, Dec. 7, 2010)
This entry into the environmental hall of shame was reported by Le Devoir today:
Le Canada a reçu hier soir son cinquième prix Fossile du jour parce que le ministre Baird connaît si mal ses dossiers qu’il a affirmé que l’on contrôlait au Canada l’utilisation de charbon trop riche en carbone, une fausseté, selon les écologistes. Menteur ou incompétent, on ne sait trop, mais les deux sont inacceptables, soulignait Steven Guilbeault d’Équiterre. (Page A1, Dec. 8, 2010)
Here is what Mr. Baird said:
“We’re the first government in the world to ban coal-fired electricity plants in the future … We’ve already published regulations with respect to phasing out dirty coal-fired generation.” (CBC Power and Politics, Dec. 2, 2010)
Here is the truth:
Canada does not have regulations to ban dirty coal. Mr. Baird knows full well that his government won’t be bringing forth regulations until some point next year. When that intention was announced back in June, the government indicated that, starting in 2015, any new regulations will require new coal-fired power plants, as well as plants that have reached the end of their economic life (defined as 45 years), to meet an emissions standard corresponding to high-efficiency natural gas-fired electricity generation. Changing the standards for new plants and plants that are no longer viable as of 2015 does not qualify as a “ban.”
It is time that Canadians knew the truth about climate change. John Baird and the Conservative government offer nothing but spin and myth-making, rather than solutions that can lead to a better future.
