Hi I am back, and preparing for the Miss Earth pageant. I am studying up on UN reports, staying away from red meat farther (it contributes to green house gases), taking the bus and recycling more. However, I do hope that I get attention that recycling is not enough. For change to happen across Canada, we need to change our voting system from first past the post to something fairer that reflects the population so that environmentally conscious voices are not crushed.
Soon we may have 300-700 jobs gone forever from Environment Canada due to job cuts instead of raising corporate taxes to levels similar in the rest to the G8 which are needed to sustain developed economies. Is lower taxes making Canada more competitive.
No, with our foreign policy we wouldn't even be competitive with Dubai's zero per cent taxes. We have the highest visa rates for U.A.E and Turkey. To create a conference for Canadian energy companies as it included Russian partners, the conference was held in Europe due to fact they feared that the Canadian government wouldn't give participants visas. Even Russian ministers, businessmen do not receive visas. My Yemeni cousin living in Sweden for many years while running a company and finishing a doctorate tried to get a visa for a trade show in Toronto for weeks, major problem. He got his passport back and in three days received the visa to the U.S. which has extremely high security standards. We have to get real, and get a business-friendly foreign policy. Of course we should still have principles, but getting our point across more diplomatically and tactfully will prevent business unfriendly rifts.
Due sinking in capital, changing our corporate tax rates by a couple per cent won't change anything but by slashing 300-700 jobs from Environment Canada, you'll overwork the existing staff. As a result of an over-worked staff, environmental regulation will slip. U.S. Vice President Cheney's corporation, Haliburton, was responsible for the part of the oil rig that failed in BP's Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill disaster, which to the best of my knowledge was deregulated. It showed that self-policing doesn't help.
If this is not your priority - well, only around 22% of Canada's population voted for it's "majority government. 40% can vote for but the 60% against have no voice. Also, coalitions exist in England and most stable governments. This must be de-stigmatized and seen as a norm. If the environment is not seen as a priority for one ruling party, if coalition was required to govern, it would see it as important. The current system we have has the highest distortion, as documented by the Gregory Scale, and on that scale where each individual vote counts the least in our system. If there was a coalition government, the slash and burn cuts to environment Canada would never happen. If the staff are over worked, they can be lax, not as vigilant and let disaster occur unintentionally.
Recycling, composting, taking the bus are all important, but if we change our political system were 60% or more of the votes count, we can have government being proactive. Meanwhile corporations such as Telus and Scotia Bank are supporting environmental causes. There are many environmentally friendly cleaners in the grocery and that is what my family buys now. They sell like hot cakes.
What can we do aside from joining Fair Vote Canada? ... and I'll stop sounding like a Green Party politicians. for a moment. :-) What can you do if you think big but work to implement your vision in small practical steps? Aside from recycling, using the bus, not eating red meat?
Its important to connect the environment and business to create something lasting. Blue-Green Canada's 2011 report states
"Canadians have missed out on approximately 66,000 jobs because the federal government has failed to match the U.S. in renewable energy investments." Their report states that the EU will create 2.8 million jobs from environmentally friendly energy. While green jobs have shown growth, traditional manufacturing jobs such as the automotive industry have slowed, or even decreased. The economy is changing and unlike the US, China ant the EU, we are not investing where the economy is headed.
If government doesn't step in, what can one do? Replace it. You can bring your own community together to fix local and sometimes even global environmental problems. For more details, you'll hear me at the pageant, where I unveil my platform.
I my home city of Taiz, youth are planting trees and picking up trash after everyone as a form of protest against the anarchy and to create hope, while seizing the moment and not waiting for government to change the environment. The future starts now and is in your hands, so let's not wait for others and start making the world a better place today! Start recycling, join fair vote Canada or do an ambitious project with local businesses and get them to be coordinated on Green issues or more eco-friendly.
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