Some history, from Wikipedia:
Green conservatism is a combination of conservatism with environmentalism. Environmental concern has been voiced by both conservative politicians and philosophers throughout the history of modern conservatism with Edmund Burke (the philosophical father of modern conservatism) in his 1790
Reflections on the Revolution in France
quoted as saying 'the earth, the kind and equal mother of all ought not to be monopolized to foster the pride and luxury of any men'.
More history, [22nd Prime Minister]:
Stephen Harper who did not support Kyoto had this to say, "Mulroney didn't produce grandiose schemes and unworkable arrangements and the kind of problems we got into with Kyoto. Instead, he decided to make concrete progress, real progress on real issues."
[19th] Kim Campbell took office at 46, Canada's first female prime minister. She focused on other matters during her administration and in her earlier cabinet roles as Minister of Justice, Attorney General, Minister of Veterans Affairs and and Minister of National Defense.
[18th] Brian Mulroney was honored on
April 20, 2016 as the greenest prime minister in Canadian history in a survey of high profile environmentalists by the Corporate Knights magazine (the voice for clean capitalism).
[16th] Joe Clark took office at 39, Canada's youngest prime minister. He put an end to 16 years of Liberal administrations.
[13th] John Diefenbaker initiated the Agricultural and Redevelopment Act, now taken for granted. The 140 mile long Lake Diefenbaker was built during his administration and was filled by 1967 after he left office but while he still held his Prince Albert seat. He appointed Ellen Fairclough as Canada's first female cabinet minister.
In her May 30th letter emailed to members of the Conservative Party of Canada on the subject of
Integrity and the Environment, Leslyn Lewis writes,
"Conservatives never get credit for the respect we have for the environment.
But we are a Party made up of farmers and fishermen, natural resource developers, manufacturers, service providers – we all depend on the environment to make a living.
We are a Party of hunters and anglers who care deeply about our forests and waterways.
And we are the Party of families and conservationists, who want to pass along clean air, water and soil to the next generation.
The Liberals outright stole Stephen Harper’s emission targets, and then bragged that they were doing things better than the Conservatives.
Even without having a credible plan to meet them, talking heads on political shows faithfully present Justin Trudeau as the environment’s only champion.
Why?
Because Justin Trudeau is seen to have “green credibility”. A position he bought with taxpayers’ own money through a consumer carbon tax.
Rather than be praised, he deserves to be called out for the damage he is doing to our economy in the name of environmental protection.
The carbon tax not only impacts low-income Canadians disproportionately, it would have to be 40 times higher to have any impact on consumer behavior. As Prime Minister I would cancel this dishonest tax grab as soon as possible.
But in order to win the next election we need a Conservative leader who can credibly challenge Trudeau, and make Canadians see his poor environmental and economic records for what they are.
I hold a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University. I spent years studying ways in which Canada can protect our forests, lakes, and rivers without needlessly damaging our economy. I know the Liberal talking points, and I understand why they don’t work.
I have a plan for a greener Canada. A plan that actually creates jobs and impacts our environment in a real, measurable way. It includes:
Responsible natural resource development
:
Oil and gas is by no means “dead.” And our oil and gas sector is the best in the world at cleaning up and remediating the environment.
The potential for Canadian liquified natural gas exports to help reduce emissions is huge. Our petroleum sector is a proud steward of the environment and an example to the world. Anyone serious about having a global impact on the environment should be championing their work around the world while also moving Canada towards energy independence.
I believe we can get off of foreign oil produced with much lower environmental and ethical standards and support our nation exclusively with cleaner Canadian energy.
Developing our other natural resource sectors like agricultural, forestry, mining, and renewable energy along with oil and gas resources in a socially and environmentally sustainable approach is key to revitalizing our economy.
We are the second largest country in the world and are blessed with amazing natural resources, environmental technology and expertise in our corporations second to none in the world.
Encouraging green investments and renovations:
Homeowners and businesses alike want to do their part. Governments should implement generous tax credit options for those who take the time to make their properties more environmentally friendly. I would also incentivize businesses to find new green solutions that reduce emissions in a meaningful way.
Funding conservationist practices:
Conserving and restoring our environment doesn’t have to be expensive - simple steps like tree planting and better recycling programs go a long way. I want to help move Canada towards diverting 100% of plastics from landfills for use in recycled plastic products made here in Canada.
Conservatives win on integrity. In the election, voters will choose who they trust on the environment.
I know that I can beat Justin Trudeau in a conversation on the environment.
"
Current members of the Social Mavrik Federation give this week's endorsement to
Environment Messenger Lewis for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Our endorsement is displayed in the Facebook section below.
