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So, not only is Canada's foreign policy shifting to support the US's immoral policies in the Middle East, but now the Canadian conservative government is destroying positive initiatives for the environment that the previous Liberal government had taken great effort to make. Do some of my fellow Canadians remember the One Tonne Challenge, or the Kyoto website? Gone and/or drastically modified - and there is more...


Tories axe website in Kyoto assault: Liberals
Aug. 5, 2006. 01:00 AM
JOSEPH HALL
STAFF REPORTER
Toronto Star

The Conservative government is trying to push global climate change off the federal map, shutting down the main federal website on the topic and removing mention of it from speeches and postings, opposition MPs and environmentalists say.
Like their U.S. Republican counterparts, who have been caught censoring top climate change researchers and have questioned the scientific merits of the theory, Conservatives are avoiding or casting doubt on the problem, critics charge.
Liberal MP Mark Holland (Ajax-Pickering) says the Tories quietly shut down on June 30 the main public website on climate change, run by the department of natural resources, even as Canadians are increasingly worried about the subject.
"And the website is just one example of it," said Holland, who has issued a joint protest with Liberal environment critic John Godfrey. "I think if you listen to their language on environmental issues, they'll talk about pollution, or smog, but they won't talk about greenhouse gases or climate change at all."
The pair also say the Conservatives have been expunging previous government news releases and other climate change information from federal websites.
Godfrey said the Tories are trying to eliminate as many references as possible on government websites to the Kyoto climate change protocol.
"Their approach is downplay, downplay, deny, minimize and manufacture confusion" on this issue, he told the Star's Les Whittington.
As of yesterday, the federal http://www.climatechange.gc.ca site was "currently unavailable" although it did point to a pair of Environment Canada and Natural Resources Canada links, where information on climate change is available.
Officials in Environment Minister Rona Ambrose's office defended the government's action on global warming.
"Our new government is committed to cleaning up Canada's air, land and water by implementing a made-in-Canada plan," Ambrose spokesperson Ryan Sparrow said in an email.
"In addition to the $2 billion in our budget for our made-in-Canada plan, our government has already invested $1.3 billion in public transit." Sparrow says his government has nothing to be ashamed of, given the Liberals' environmental record.
"While the Liberals talked about the environment for 13 years and did nothing, our Conservative government is already acting to reduce pollutants that are harmful to Canada's environment and the health of Canadians."
But another media officer in the department expressed surprise the site was down.
"Unfortunately I don't know really what's happened. ... I thought it was still functional," William Cook said yesterday.
The link on the now unavailable climate change site to Environment Canada's Green Lane site offers no scientific information under its main climate-change heading.
The only information refers to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's promised "made-in-Canada" alternative to the Kyoto protocol, which was ratified by the former Liberal government.
"The government of Canada is committed to the development and implementation of a made-in-Canada plan for reducing greenhouse gases and ensuring clean air, water, land and energy for Canadians," it says.
"The made-in-Canada approach will be effective, realistic and focus on achieving sustained reductions in emissions in Canada while ensuring a strong economy. The government will develop solutions that have clear environmental benefits to Canada and improve our ability to market new technologies around the world."
Deeper in the site, however, there is a detailed explanation of what climate change is, how it occurs and what it might do. As well, the site does link elsewhere to environmentalist David Suzuki's website, but its external links page is currently under construction.
At the federal natural resources link, there is information about new climate-change technology efforts and government funded research, but no ready description of the basic theory.
But other natural resources links, including one entitled "Climate Change in Canada," continue to offer extensive information on the subject.
Cached versions of the cancelled climate change site, however, show it offered detailed information on climate-change theories, measures to combat it, and how it might affect the economy, environment and health of Canadians.
A Pollution Probe spokesperson said he's also noted mention of greenhouse gas problems vanishing from Conservative postings."What I can say is the Liberals are not overreacting," said Quentin Chiotti, air program director with the Toronto-based group. "Almost from day-one, for example, any reference to Kyoto was struck from most of the web pages."
He pointed out that high-profile Liberal environmental initiatives, like the One Tonne Challenge and the EnerGuide program, were axed soon after the Conservatives took power.

time to buy the villa and stay in dubai then

Maybe, or go back to Finland.

By the way, if any Canadians here want to write to complain about this issue, or the foreign policy of our government in regards to Afghanistan and Lebanon etc. - just use this http://canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html#mp to find your MP and write them an e-mail or letter to express your views.

The day when i first read terrorist attack planned in toronto i feared for the worse. Harper's governemnt is pro American cos he is Albertan and majority of them are staunch proAmerican cos of economic benefits the two regions enjoy. I was shocked when Harper stated "Isreal was right to invade LEBANON" and he didnt even state anything about Lebanese casualties. Now go back to speeches made by prominent prime ministers in the past, they were more balanced and neutral not biased. Now for him al qadea q\was generous to include Canada in hit list. Why should we suffer from the mess created by Americans? Bill Graham and Chretein were very balanced in their views, that's why Canada enjoyed peaceful nation status for long time. Now things are changing, more money is spent on defence systems and same threat level is exercised - gloomy reflection of our neighbour

I hear you Sniper. I really miss Chretien.

I was mad when harper didnt atted the AIDS conference. Bill Gates and Melinda attended to make sure their high profile will increase attendents and awareness.