Dear Editor,
I recently had a call from a campaigner for the Conservative candidate in the local by-election. She asked if I would be voting Conservative and I politely explained why I couldn’t. My voting strategy is always ABC: anybody but Conservative.
I explained that I can’t/won’t vote Conservative, because a Conservative government won’t protect the environment or do anything about climate change because it might cost too much, or it might be bad for business. Better to destroy our wildlife, habitat, natural environment, and climate if it means we have more money in our pockets.
The Harper government eliminated many environmental programs and gutted the Fisheries Act, Navigable Waters Protection Act, and the environmental assessment process. Ford has already removed the environmental commissioner, replaced a reasonable climate action program (cap-and-trade) with an ineffective one, and will soon be cutting any environmental programs that cost money.
The new Minister of Natural Resources & Forestry (Yakabuski) has already made his priorities clear: logging and the forest harvest industry. The campaigner said she would call back when she found out what her Conservative candidate thought about the environment. I haven’t heard from her.
Stew Hamill, Merrickville
