Canadians Reject 'Green Shift' at the Polls

16 October 2008 - 1:00pm

Canadians went to the polls yesterday and re-elected Stephen Harper's Conservative Party -- which downplayed environmental issues -- while rejecting the "Green Shift" carbon tax plan of the Liberal Party.

"It may be some time before we again see a political leader in Canada brave enough to build a campaign platform around saving the environment.

The world economic crisis that may take a few years to fix has something to do with that. But so, too, does the outcome of last night's federal election, which saw the Conservatives returned to power, partly on the back of Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion's muddled message on the environment.

The party that won last night's federal election was the one that barely mentioned the environment, except when it was to disparage the green policies of its opponents, particularly the Liberals. What does that say about where the issue sits in the pecking order of Canadian concerns? It wasn't that long ago the environment topped the list."

Source: Globe and Mail, October 15, 2008
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There are limits to the amount of pollution the environment can absorb without reducing ecosystem services and impairing both human health and the sustainability of our economy.