Mighty AC

I have yet to see Trudeau or Mulcair eliminate scientific evidence, research, advisers and reporting capabilities. I don't see them denying or obfuscating evidence and the consensus of experts. I do actually see Trudeau and Mulcair speak to the media and directly to voters while answering unscripted questions. I also believe they will attend the leaders debate.

Well said; that is the CPC philosophy in a nutshell. To some extent I can understand Harper's unethical approach to leadership and 'anything for power' mantra. What I don't understand is why adult fanboys would spend their time on a sleepy little forum acting as CPC apologists. I guess that's just what fanatics do. As with irrational followers of sports teams, the war (we are right) mentality trumps evidence and reason.

So I point to a direct example of a problem already worsened by Harper environmental cuts in the short amount of time since they've been made and it doesn't count? I've also pointed out that the busiest port in Canada no longer has a single coast guard officer. Plus, the Environmental Emergencies program, that actually has survey oil spills to direct an emergency response strategy, no longer has offices in Alberta or BC. Those are the most immediate, bone headed, problems caused by this ridiculous government, but a long term lack of knowledge and research created by Harper's war on science will be a greater problem. Real life doesn't work like CPC interviews. You can't simply repeat sound bites and ignore reality.

Much of the damage associated with the removal of protections, elimination of scientific research, advisers and council will take time to be felt. Despite the fact that the Harper government was literally burning science books, the impact of a lack of knowledge and reporting capacity does not impact Canadians over night. However, the decimation of environmental protections and scientific knowledge was mainly done to lubricate the pipeline building and tanker transport process. Even though the risky new dilbit pipes haven't even been constructed, some of the reckless cuts have already led to increased environmental damage. The Harper government closed a Kitsilano Coast Guard station which led to a slow response to a heavy oil spill and increased environmental damage. The government and coast guard tried to claim that budget cuts and closures did not impact the response; however, that was later confirmed to be a lie. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/coast-guard-budget-cuts-roil-the-water-in-bc-oil-spill-controversy/article23893361/ Drastic cuts by the Harper government have put the west coast in harm's way. Over the past three years, front-line staff in B.C. have been cut by 25 per cent. “And,” he added, “there will no longer be a single Coast Guard employee in Canada’s biggest port.” Additionally, cuts at Environment Canada mean fewer left to clean up oil-spill mess. The Harperites have closed all Western Environmental Emergencies Program offices, which hampers environmental disaster responses, especially oil spills. "The staff in the Environmental Emergencies Program co-ordinate the cleanup of spills that occur within federal jurisdictions including waterways, first nations and federal buildings," Galloway wrote. "They also provide technical advice when incidents occur elsewhere and collectively respond to more than 1,000 significant spills every year." The Environmental Emergencies Program regional offices in six Canadian cities, including Vancouver, were closed. The Alberta department in Edmonton was closed as well, which is dangerous considering the province has had almost 30,000 crude oil spills in total and over 30,000 involving all piped substances. http://globalnews.ca/news/571494/introduction-37-years-of-oil-spills-in-alberta/

To be fair, Shady's inane comment was really his childish way to protest the idea of a carbon tax. It was a response to my comment that we should use financial levers to tax things we don't want like pollution and reduce the tax burden on things we do, like income. Though, the decision to attack single mothers was purely his own. Hey, at least the status update outed some real lowlife opinions..so happy sparring. He deserves to be torn a new one.

Maybe you have an aversion to reading or knowledge. Maybe you're only permitted to repeat official party talking points. Either way your denial of clear and undeniable facts is laughable. I guess you can bring a con to evidence but you can't make him think.

Once the necessary political agreements have been met, builders, operators and shipping companies have very little left to worry about in regards to environmental damage.

Is this a separate theoretical question or are you also trying to claim that moves like weakening or eliminating the environmental assessment process on federal lands, allowing the federal cabinet to overrule, in secret, any assessments that are done, allowing more waste to be dumped at sea, restricting the ability of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans from protecting fish or oceans are simple redundancies, already handled by the provinces? Do water bodies, air masses or animal populations ever cross provincial borders?

Please, by all means point out any errors present in the article. The piece was written by a federal MP and I chose the link because of the concise and easy to read summaries of the many changes, but if you doubt the accuracy I have listed several more below that confirm the same thing. We all know the gutting of environmental laws was done to lubricate the pipeline building process. If you feel that contaminating water bodies and destroying habitats and fish stocks is a small price to pay to sell more oil, then argue that. However, the fact that cons like yourself knowingly lie about the rationale for Harper's decimation of environmental protections suggests that, on some level, you know the CPC was wrong and is in the pocket of the oil industry. http://www.elc.ab.ca/Content_Files/Files/Bill38AnalysisArticlefinal.pdf http://www.mondaq.com/canada/x/214160/Environmental+Law/Bill+C38+Fisheries+Act+Changes+Jobs+Growth+And+A+Little+Gutting+Of+The+Act https://politicsofevidence.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/c-38-factsheet.pdf http://www.lawnow.org/canadian-federal-environmental-assessment-law/ http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/david-suzuki/bill-c-38-environment_b_1591420.html http://www.greenparty.ca/en/media-release/2012-05-10/may-clarifies-deliberately-confusing-bill-c-38 http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/point-of-order-2/ http://wcel.org/sites/default/files/publications/Top%2010%20Environmental%20Concerns%20of%20Budget%20Bill%20C-38.pdf http://s.cela.ca/files/Cooper-May22-notes-and-EcoJ-WCEL-summary.pdf

The CPC decimation of environmental protections cannot be characterized as the removal of redundancies, not even close. Read the link, read about the cuts and policy changes. Ignorance is no longer an excuse when it becomes willful.

Absolute BS. Lying loud and often doesn't make a truth. Regulations were simply cut, data collection halted and reporting silenced to make it easy to transport bitumen and it difficult to track the associated contamination problems. http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/05/10/Bill-C38/ These are not efficiencies, environmental laws were decimated with changes hidden in a massive 400+ page omnibus bill that was fast tracked to prevent discussion and debate.

These are federal laws and regulations, not redundancies. Ignorance is bliss I guess...

I've started watching the Californication series and so far it's pretty damn entertaining. I'm a couple seasons in right now and I love Fox Mulder's character. Hank Moody is such a delightful, intelligent, funny and layered f@#k up. I had a roommate like him once.

Is this willful ignorance or just repeated sound bites picked up a some Conservative circle jerk? The following acts and programs are all federal responsibilities and have been weakened, cut or undermined by the Harper regime to make extracting and transporting tarsands as easy and cheap as possible: Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act, Fisheries Act, Navigable Waters Protection Act, Energy Board Act, Species at Risk Act, Parks Canada Agency Act, Canadian Oil and Gas Operations, Coasting Trade Act, Nuclear Safety Control, Canada Seeds Act, Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act, National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, Water Programs, Wastewater Survey, Environment Canada.

Tyrion was worth rooting for and so was the death of Joff and Cersei, plus Stannis wasn't nearly as despicable then.

So now in the battle of the North do we root for the cruel, demented rapist or the child immolating, tyrant?

Wow, I thought that you must have been joking. As already pointed out by On Guard for Thee there are many federal laws pertaining to the environment and the federal government is also responsible for our international environmental commitments. If you're interested you can read about how the Harper Government hid dozens of attacks on the environment in one fast racked, 400+ page, omnibus bill that altered or erased over 70 laws, with little to no debate. http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/05/10/Bill-C38/ Certainly some Conservatives are unaware of the decimation of environmental standards and research perpetrated by the Harper Government; however, I seriously doubt your are. If you agree with Harper's moves to give fossil fuel companies free reign to spill, plunder and destroy and then eliminate our ability to measure and report on the damage, then why try to mask the problem? Own it, defend it. But...it's not okay is it? If this government's dealings with science and the environment were considered to be acceptable, CPC fanboys probably wouldn't feel the need to lie and obscure the issue.

LMAO! Actually, if you can find a way to pin horrendous science and environmental policy on a low level staffer, the CPC would like to hear from you.

This isn't being done, but you know that. Thousands of water bodies are no longer protected and many are no longer tested for contaminants. You don't even believe what you posted here...so why do it? You know why Harper eliminated and eased protections, testing and reporting practices. You know why data was destroyed. You know why they essentially ended project environmental assessments and public consultations. You know why CPC climate policy is the worst in the developed world and why they attempt to interfere with world agreements. You also know why they now harass environmental charities and made it illegal for them to fight for environmental standards or even raise awareness. If, like Harper, you feel that fossil fuel companies need not be accountable for the safe extraction and transport of their products and should be free to trash our shared resources like our land, air and water, then own it. If you think Harper's policies here are correct, then why do you feel the need to paint a false picture of what is being done? I suspect you know it's wrong and that Canadians know it's wrong yet you abide by some BS political 'gotta support the team' mentality.

The link succinctly shows how the Harper government has axed and cut the systems and positions that collect scientific and environmental data as well as the departments that report the findings to the public. Do you disagree with list of closures and cuts presented in the link? This link was included to show that beyond the extensive cuts to and removal of environmental protections Harper's government has made it very difficult for the results of our decimated laws and policies to even be detected or reported. He then went on to make it illegal for charities to combat the Conservative assault on environmental protections.