Re: Harper Soiling Canada's International Name

I received this reply from Jack Layton of the NDP:

Thank you for your previous email regarding the upcoming UN climate
change summit in Copenhagen.

With the world beginning to focus their attention on Canada's lack of
action on climate change, the Conservative government continues to make
it up as they go along. To make matters worse, Environment Minister
Prentice announced that Canadians and the rest of the world would have
to wait well into 2010 before he reveals domestic climate change
regulations. You can read more about this matter here.
http://www.ndp.ca/press/minister-environment-continues-to-stall-progress
. The bottom line is if we don't step up, we'll face trade sanctions
abroad and mounting costs at home.

For our part, New Democrats continue to push the federal government to
establish regulations for Canada's greenhouse gases and to take a
leadership role at the UN Copenhagen climate change summit. Our efforts
to advance Bill C-311, the New Democrat Climate Change Accountability
Act also received a major setback due to the combined forces of
Conservative and Liberal MPs who voted to delay the legislation.

Bill C-311, with tough, science-based reduction targets for our
greenhouse gases, offered Canada a real chance to prove to the world
that it is serious about tackling climate change. Its passage by
Parliament would have given Canada the credibility it sorely needs when
it goes to the UN Copenhagen Conference. Now, Canada will go to
Copenhagen with nothing to offer.

We will make every effort to return C-311 to Parliament. Also, New
Democrat Environment critic Linda Duncan and I look forward to having
the opportunity to advance our Party`s environmental policies at the
Copenhagen summit.

The decision by Liberal MPs to join with the Conservatives to deny
passage of this important legislation made one thing clear: more votes
for the Conservatives and Liberals will mean less tangible action to
protect our environment.

Others agree with our assessment:

"To date, Liberal environmental policies are indistinguishable from
those of the Conservative government that have pushed Canada to last
place among developed nations in protecting climate and the natural
environment." - Stephen Hazell, Executive Director, Sierra Club Canada
on September 21, 2009.

"This Bill (C-311) has wide support from a broad spectrum of Canadians.
Politicians need to set aside their partisan differences and agree on
these science-based emissions reduction targets. Time is running out." -
Mark Fried, policy coordinator, Oxfam Canada on October 21, 2009.

"Passing this Bill (C-311) before Copenhagen in December is Parliament's
only hope of proving that we are prepared to work seriously through the
United Nations to find a solution to global warming. The Liberals voting
with the Conservatives may have made that impossible." - Dale Marshall,
David Suzuki Foundation on October 21, 2009.

Looking forward, you can continue to count on our team of New Democrat
MPs to push our plan to take on big polluters, protect our environment,
and invest in sustainable solutions. I invite you to check the following
link to learn more about our work:
http://www.ndp.ca/platform/environment/aplanthatwillwork.

Again, thank you for letting me know of your interest to fight climate
change. Feel free to share my response to anyone interested in
environmental protection. All the best."

Sincerely,


Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats


I now await response from the conservatives and liberals...