Prominent Canadian author Naomi Klein says Prime Minister Stephen Harper鈥檚 absence from Tuesday鈥檚 UN climate summit is just the latest event to demonstrate his government鈥檚 lack of interest in the environmental issues.
Activist groups have also opposed Harper鈥檚 policies on issues, such as and .
Klein, author of This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, say Harper鈥檚 policies are all designed to increase growth, 鈥渨hether it鈥檚 free trade, whether it鈥檚 the tar sands.鈥�
鈥淎nd that logic is what is at the heart of the climate crisis.,鈥� she told CTV Question Period.
Klein criticized Harper鈥檚 support for pipelines and the oil sands and called for more investment in green alternatives.
鈥淓ach of those pipelines represents an expansion of production in the tar sands,鈥� Klein said. 鈥淭hat is exactly the wrong direction if we want to take the climate science seriously.鈥�
Conservatives defend climate record
Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who will be traveling to the UN summit in Harper鈥檚 place, told the House of Commons on Friday that Canada 鈥渋s the world leader when it comes to addressing climate change.鈥�
Aglukkaq鈥檚 parliamentary secretary, Colin Carrie, said Sunday that the Conservative government has helped both the economy grow and emissions shrink.
鈥淔or the first time we鈥檝e actually decoupled economic growth with greenhouse gases,鈥� he said.
An Environment Canada 2013 report, titled Canada鈥檚 Emissions Trends, says greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 4.8 per cent between 2005 and 2011, while the economy grew by 8.4 per cent in that same time period.
But NDP environment critic Megan Leslie said the Conservatives are taking credit for improvements they had nothing to do with, and emissions went down because of the recession.
Leslie also accused the Conservatives of exaggerating the benefits of their coal regulations, .
Economy before environment
Klein also criticized the opposition parties鈥� stances on the environment and economy.
鈥淚t seems that the price of admission for any politician who wants to be 鈥榯aken seriously,鈥� quote un-quote, is to pick a pipeline and cheer for it,鈥� she said.
Though both Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and NDP leader Thomas Mulcair have rejected the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline through British Columbia, they both support other projects.
Trudeau is in favour of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring oil from Canada into the United States. Thomas Mulcair supports a west-east pipeline that would transport bitumen to Atlantic Canada.
鈥淭his seems to be what the opposition leaders believe they have to do in order to signal to Bay Street that they鈥檙e serious about the economy,鈥� Klein said.
Despite the apparent tension between economic growth and environmental sustainability, Klein said she thinks Canadians can have both.
鈥淲e can have a successful economy within the boundaries of our carbon budget,鈥� Klein said. 鈥淐anadians overwhelmingly do care about climate change, and the major political parties are not offering them a real alternative.鈥�
