AYLMER, QUEBEC | Last weekend's day of protest over our "new" government's very old tactics of denial, blaming others, and its invocation of various forms of economic self-righteousness, saw many Alymer residents at the demonstration in Ottawa. The protest was to send a message to John Baird, Canada's Anti-Environment Minister, as he departs for the Bali Conference on climate change. Given what is at stake for all of us, and given our government's made-somewhere-else position, more of us should have been at that demonstration.

One of many interesting items in the public debate was David Suzuki's characterization of climate change as a question of human rights. Suzuki sees Canada's obstructionist position as one of "inter-generational abuse."

We adults are forcing our children and grandchildren to bear the brunt of our refusal to take the problem seriously. If only "intergenerational abuse" was a criminal charge, like child and spousal abuseÉ

The Harper government's view that all other countries must sign on, or we won't, and that no agreement should harm big business in Canada, is childish, churlish, and, at heart, criminal.

Canadian industry and Canadian life-styles are dumping mega-tons of garbage into our atmosphere, so whether China also does is not primary for us. Our responsibility is for our own actions, not the actions of others, and we must clean up our own act, and not preach what we don't practice.

A religious leader recently told his Ottawa audience that our responsibilities are not to figure out what is in the hearts and minds of others, but to search what is in our own hearts, and then to act or heal accordingly. The same can be said for our non-religious daily lives, whether in the Alberta oil sands or our home recycling bins.

The actions and lack of conscience by big business have lead us to this climate disaster; we must not let the concerns of big business, as expressed through this "new" government, stop us and the world from reaching a consensus on the route to a solution.

Mr. Baird certainly should do his best to get the US, Japan, China, and India on side, but he should first put Canada on board for a solution. If those countries refuse, are we OK to dive blindly in the trough, too? Suzuki and others have pointed out that effective emissions targets can be met and can be met by increasing our industry's innovative research abilities; there's a business future in sales of these innovative technologies.

Most of us weren't at the Ottawa demonstration on climate change, but, one hopes, most of us will see this government's determined refusal to lead us towards an agreement on climate change as the greatest reason to make sure it does not remain our government after the next election. Australians just voted our their climate-change obstructionist government.

Mr. Baird and Mr. Harper have to know we will vote to protect our children and grandchildren.

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Copyright © 2007 Fred Ryan/Log Cabin Chronicles/12.07