Columnists
Cleaning up
We’ve got a lot to fix.
This week, local not-forprofit group CCSAGE filed a lawsuit against the Ontario government, challenging the fairness, equity and legality of the Green Energy Act. The action seems to signify a larger problem with our government.
I would like to think that there are many policies put in place with good intentions. While some politicians may have agendas or experience corruption, generally, politics is a career for those who wish to improve their communities and their societies.
But you know what they say about good intentions.
The problem comes when those good intentions are implemented without forethought. Or perhaps with so much forethought that more immediate implications are not considered. The potential chain reactions ignored.
When the Canadian government, under Stephen Harper, cut back on domestic resources like research, employment insurance, infrastructure spending and downloaded costs, the intention was to steer Canada away from economic meltdown. The consequences—a loss of respect for Canada on the world stage and by Canadians, a widened gap between socio-economic classes—were probably not top of mind.
The question is, when something needs to change, and there are experts who say so, and the public wants the change to happen, does that mean the decision-makers necessarily know the right course of action?
In a world where there is so much information, and experts are so specialized, is it possible to see the big picture?
This week, a Canadian delegation joined leaders of both countries and companies in Paris. They are all seeking ways to address climate change.
Whether with good intentions or personal agendas, the attendees of the 21st Conference of the Parties are working to address the problem of a massive dependence on fossil fuels that has entangled our infrastructure, our economies and virtually every aspect of our lives.
They have come together to discuss potential policies that could evolve our systems to rely on more renewable energies, on different ways of living and thinking and interacting with our planet.
One policy that has caught attention in Canada is a tax on carbon emissions, something that has already been tested in BC and is about to be implemented in Alberta. It is already practiced in other countries in the world as a way to encourage citizens and corporations to change the way they function.
Of course, the process is more nuanced than simply charging people and companies for their carbon emissions. There are kick-backs in income tax and subsidies for those who make a change to more energy efficient practices.
But there is also a need to acknowledge that the changes the government wants to see, however well intentioned, will have a price. Experts assure us that jobs lost in one sector will open up in another. Money will be spent on infrastructure and improvements.
The price then, will be the cost of supporting those who will lose their jobs and who can’t afford to make any changes. And the system in place to support them needs fixing. We’ve got our work cut out for us.
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