Proud to be Canadian? Not During Durban Climate Change Conference

When you are Canadian, everyone in this country expects you to be proud to be Canadian - talking about how great Canada is is a national pastime. However, as the Durban Climate Change Conference begins today, I must declare that I am, in no way, proud to be Canadian. The Canadian Government… sorry, the Harper Government will begin its attempt to sabotage any good faith negotiation going on at the conference over the next two weeks.

But it doesn’t have to be like this. Just imagine a world where Canada was a leader on environmental issues. Just imagine if believed in fulfilling its international obligations. Just imagine replacing the blinding anti-Kyoto rhetoric that we constantly get, with comments from the government like:

“Kyoto is the past… We need to find a way to continue its good work into the future.”

“We've already declared that however acute the international pressure, we will insist on a second commitment period target under the Kyoto Protocol."


Imagine if articles in the newspapers read like:

“There is a recognition that Kyoto isn’t fair. But there is also a recognition that something has to be done, and working under Kyoto without major emitters like the US is better than working under a strictly voluntary system or no system  at all” Canada’s Environment Minister Peter Kent told The Canadian Press before leaving for Durban. “And it's certainly not as effective as we’d like, but there has to be an understanding that we cannot criticize others for not being a part of the Treaty if we aren’t a part of it ourselves, and doing nothing is not an option.”


Imagine if, instead of criticism, environmental groups and other political parties could praise the government:

“It Kyoto succeeds these next two weeks in Durban,” says Garry Neil, the executive director of the Council of Canadians “Canada will have played a leading role, to our collective pride.”

“It’s very promising from an environmental perspective,” said Matt Horne, Climate Change Director at the Pembina Institute. “It sends a pretty strong signal that Canada is serious about the international process being successful. It certainly is going to be a big positive checkmark on our international reputation.”

"It will reverberate around the world," Elizabeth May told CTV about Canada’s efforts to strengthen the Kyoto Accord. "Canada will be a hero globally if it goes through with this."

Imagine if Harper himself actually believed in making a positive change for climate change:

Stephan Harper once wrote a letter to all members of the Reform Party, shortly after being elected leader, in which he extoled the virtues of the Kyoto Protocol and urged Reform Party supporters to put pressure on the Liberal government to ratify the treaty. Among his points was:

 “Kyoto is essentially a progressive project to suck carbon emissions out of the economies of wealth-producing nations.”

If that were what I was reading in the paper, hearing on the news, then I would scream at the top of my lungs, “I am proud to be Canadian! I am proud that we make a difference! I am proud that we stand up for what is right!” Instead, I sit in front of my computer and type; I am ashamed to be Canadian. I am ashamed that we out our needs in front of the needs of the world. I am ashamed that we stand in the way of what is right.