Harper government says environmental groups doing “significant” policy research Prime Minister Stephen Harper waves as he leaves the swearing in of the federal cabinet at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Monday. Prime Minister Stephen Harper waves as he leaves the swearing in of the federal cabinet at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Monday. Photo: Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press Share on email Mike De Souza Published: August 15, 2013, 12:17 pm Updated: 3 days ago A A A OTTAWA-Members of PrIme Minister Stephen Harper’s government and conservative talk show hosts have publicly described them as radical foreign-funded groups trying to wreck the Canadian economy. But internally, the Harper government says some of Canada’s best known environmental groups are doing “significant” policy analysis and research. Those groups include Nature Canada, the David Suzuki Foundation, the Green Budget Coalition, Environmental Defence, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the Pembina Institute, says Environment Canada in a newly-released list. The groups were named in briefing notes prepared for former environment minister Peter Kent to help him respond to questions about the government’s 2012 budget decision to shut down the federally-funded National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, a think tank that studied sustainable development bringing together business and conservation interests. “All of the organizations listed above maintain web sites with links to significant environmental policy analysis and research,” said the document, dated April 2, 2012. The Harper government also listed several university-based academic organizations, including the Simon Fraser University Centre for Public Policy Research, noting its work on adaptation to climate change. It also highlighted the work of Sustainable Prosperity, a think tank based at the University of Ottawa. The International Institute for Sustainable Development, the Conference Board of Canada, the C.D. Howe Institute and the Institute for Research on Public Policy also garnered mentions in the document, released to Postmedia News through access to information legislation by Environment Canada. The government also highlighted International research by the United Nations, the OECD and the International Energy Agency for reports on environmental policy issues relevant to Canada. All of the groups highlighted have stressed the importance of policies that make polluters pay a price for carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. Members of the Harper government have criticized those promoting action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as a “job-killing carbon tax.” But at the same time, the government has started introducing regulations that increases costs of transportation and energy by setting new pollution standards for vehicles, fuel and coal-fired power plants. Kent and other former and current members of cabinet suggested that the government no longer needed to pay for advice from the round table, costing taxpayers about $5 million per year, suggesting some of the information was free on the Internet, without specifying the government’s preferred sources. Kent, who was replaced in a cabinet shuffle a few weeks ago by Leona Aglukkaq, also ordered the advisory panel to shut down its website, preventing it from posting its final report, before it closed its doors. View this document on Scribd
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 01:22:30 +0000
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