We can’t afford to get this wrong

It’s a political football game that needs a clear strategy

Do you love your children? I know this should sound like a rhetorical question, but it is something people should keep in mind when they think about the future.

Most parents have hopes their children will have a better life than they had and they strive to create the conditions under which their children can thrive.

In our society, we often measure this in material terms and the accumulation of wealth has been seen as the way to provide possessions and the best educational opportunities for our children to advance in life.

While it would be ridiculous to downplay the importance of economic factors in creating a better society, it often happens that such concerns come at the expense of equally important factors like the environment. The need to balance these two concerns is vital and in Canada, the debate around how to do so has become highly politicized and threatens to get bogged down to the point of inaction.

I have been struck over the past couple of weeks by the juxtaposition of what has been occurring with the climate in this country and the increasing political rhetoric around the carbon tax. Recently, a number of provincial elections have been held in this country with most electing Conservative parties that have made it clear, they explicitly oppose the carbon tax of the federal Liberal government. Many of them have joined to oppose this and with the election of Jason Kenney in Alberta, the voices of opposition have become louder and more heated.

While Kenny and Ontario Premier Doug Ford were meeting to announce how they were going to fight this “job-killing” tax of the Trudeau Liberals, the court in Saskatchewan ruled on its Conservative government challenge of the carbon tax. It ruled in favour of the federal government. Needless to say, those opposed vow to fight this tax all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada and the federal Conservatives have also taken up the call and are making the removal of the carbon tax a central plank of their platform in this October’s federal election.

While the political fight over the carbon tax continues, the effect of climate change is making itself felt. Across Eastern Canada, rivers were flooding, and water levels were breaking records; what was considered a “flood of the century” was occurring twice in a three-year span, promising to become the new reality. Scientists released reports stating the rate of temperature growth is greater in Canada than the rest of the world and the rate of growth rises the further north you go. The permafrost in northern Canada is starting to melt for the first time in thousands of years which will release further carbon into the atmosphere, further escalating the problem. We can no longer afford to ignore this reality.

While virtually all political parties in Canada now agree climate change is a reality, how we go about addressing this problem remains a major point of disagreement and has become a rallying cry for one’s political base. While I have many criticisms of the federal Liberals, I don’t have a problem with the carbon tax because it represents at least a concrete beginning to addressing this problem. I don’t know if the Conservatives, who are opposed, have a better answer and we have yet to see any concrete plans on their part other than criticizing Justin Trudeau; that’s not good enough and we need to hear an alternative from them, about what they have to offer if they repeal the carbon tax.

The economy is important, but it isn’t the only thing that should matter to Canadians. We have a limited amount of time to make an impact on climate change and it is going to cost us one way or another. It serves little purpose to think we can have economic security for our children while their home – the planet Earth – is being destroyed.

Sometimes, loves means making the hard choices and we just can’t afford to get this one wrong, for the sake of future generations. Brian Hodder is an LGBTQ2 activist and works in the field of mental health and addictions. He can be reached at bdhodder@hotmail.com.