Climate activists accused of cozying up to Liberals
by Jennifer Ditchburn, Toronto Star
OTTAWA–Canada’s high-profile environmentalists have set themselves up as the Earth’s lobbyists, but some critics accuse them of concealing less lofty sympathies.
Insiders from three federal parties say they have concerns that some of the activists judging climate-change action have become too cozy with the Liberals.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:19 am
This article is mostly correct.
No wonder…
After 13 years in power, the federal Liberal party was THE place to take any issue in Ottawa, and environment was no exception. I don’t find it strange that Matthew Bramley and the likes of him (and he is an exceptionally smart and articulate man) were considered the de facto unofficial advisors to Liberal caucus on the entire climate change issue.
Only now, with the Conservatives entering into their second year in office, is the environmental NGO community waking up and realizing “damn, it’s Harper we now have to lobby and deal with…we need to treat them with respect”. The Conservatives are pissed because all the opinion validators and commentators on the tradionally green issues have not given them credit, even where some credit would have been due. Thus, you have a bad relationship between the Minister (Baird) and the NGOs…unlike the relatively good relationship between them and the former ministers Dion and Anderson. Add in the general volatility of the issues themselves and you’ve got a problem, but mostly an image-driven problem. Truth is, the Conservative government is struggling just as much with how to cut the GHGs as the Liberals did and it’s just as futile, so far.
Of course, the article also mentions in passing that the Greens have practically no influence here, in the Ottawa bubble. No kidding! The Greens have a problem forming any kind of a functional relationship with an environmental NGO or think-tank. The NGOs and the think-tanks, on the other hand, consider the Greens to be a not-so useful ally because the party has no seats, almost no budget and is generally not in the driving seat on any decisions.
July 10th, 2007 at 9:27 am
It’s really tough to negotiate with someone who you’ve labeled ‘evil incarnate’.
However, I think some of the blame has to rest with the Conservatives while they were out of power for not creating some relationships with environmental groups and think tanks. I mean, the NDP has forged some very powerful relationships among environmentalists over the year and they haven’t formed government at all.
The fact that they did not has contributed to the idea that Conservatives don’t take environmental problems seriously.
As for the Greens, building up a relationship with think tanks and environmental groups requires a lot of work over a long period of time. Given the slender resouces of the federal and provincial parties, it is a difficult relationship to focus on given the country seems to be in ‘election-mania’ mode.
It has been pointed out that what the Green Party of Canada really needs is four solid years of no elections to build relationships and organizations.
July 10th, 2007 at 10:44 am
You are sort of correct in your observations…except for the fact that the environmentalists in the question are not “negotiating” with the government or any party. No NGO ever negotiates anything; only governments can negotiate with other governments. The most that third-party organizations such as Pembina Institute could do is get someone’s ear and give a supposedly non-partisan advice (which would then, ostensibly, be spun by the partisan communication hacks…a personal observation, by the way).
What I am getting at is that no matter how much one may dislike or disagree with the government of the day in Canada, a non-governmental organization’s role includes a part about making friends within the government - or at least allies. Thus my conclusion that the NGOs are hooped - they have semi-publicly allied themselves with the Liberals (not the NDP, not the Greens, certainly not the Conservative government) or shown a very close orientation towards the Liberals. It is not kosher in our political culture - and worth a second thought about how to improve the relationships that make our civic society work.