By Peter Robinson, David Suzuki Foundation CEO
It would be easy to join those cheering the recent resignations of B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice. After all, neither could be considered a truly "green" leader. But both made positive steps on some environmental issues — and we now need assurances from the federal and provincial governments that they will build on those achievements.
Minister Prentice clearly put the interests of Canadians first by listing bisphenol A as "toxic", protecting habitat in Southern Ontario, and establishing a number of national parks and marine conservation areas, most recently in Gwaii Haanas — where the minister even met with David Suzuki.
His recent decision to reject the Prosperity gold and copper mine proposal, which saved Fish Lake in B.C. from becoming a tailings pond, also gave hope that the some people in federal government were willing to champion critical issues around the environment.
Minister Prentice, however, cannot distance himself from his government's great failure to deliver any significant progress on climate change by passing laws that would have reduced Canada's emissions related to global warming.
This was most clearly demonstrated at Copenhagen in December, where the government of Canada obstructed efforts to draft a strong international agreement on climate change. This will have grave consequences for generations of Canadians, and others worldwide.
Premier Campbell's government also has a mixed record on environmental issues. The government made some progress with its ban on coal-fired power plants and implementation of vehicle emissions standards. But the B.C. Liberals have so far failed to strengthen weak environmental assessment rules or to introduce legislation to protect species at risk. The Liberals also gutted the Environment Ministry and have refused to address issues around fish farming. And the Gateway Project, which expands freeways for cars and trucks at the expense of more sustainable transportation options, flies in the face of Premier Campbell's commitment to fighting climate change.
At the same time, the premier deserves credit for bold leadership in establishing B.C. as the first jurisdiction in North America to put a price on carbon emissions that increases over time. The price set was too low, but the symbolic power of this measure is indisputable as it has demonstrated that governments can implement policies — and levy taxes — aimed at reducing greenhouse gases and protecting against the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change — without hurting their economies.
