10 Ways Harper’s Government Has F*cked The Environment

In a decade of power, the Conservative Party has shown it cares more about its friends in the oil industry than the people of Canada - especially Indigenous peoples. Here are 10 ways Harper’s government has f*cked over the environment.

1. Pulling out of the ONLY international climate agreement we had

Canada is the only country in the world to have withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol, which is the world’s only legally binding plan to tackle global warming. Canada officially withdrew in 2011 under the direction of the then Environment Minister Peter Kent. “This is not just big, this is disastrous for Canada”, the Green Party leader Elizabeth May said at the time.

2. Passing a Bill that's as Bad for First Nations as it is for the Environment

Toma Iczkovits / © Toma Iczkovits / Greenpeace

Bill C-45, passed in 2012, allows for easier opening of First Nations treaty lands and territory. It means major pipeline and power line project advocates aren't required to prove their project won't damage or destroy a navigable waterway it crosses, removing protection for 99.9% of lakes and rivers in Canada. The bill also further reduced the number of projects that require assessment under the Environmental Assessment Act, making the approval process faster and riskier. This is the Bill which sparked the Idle No More movement for Indigenous rights in Canada.

3. Making protecting the environment an act of terrorism

pinterest.com / Via pinterest.com

The controversial Bill C-51, which was given Royal Assent in June, could make peaceful protest an act of terrorism. The legislation could be used to step up surveillance of protestors and activists who demonstrate without an official permit or despite a court order could be charged. So this bill targets environmental and First Nation climate activists as a threat to security.

4. Waging a War on First Nations

Rogue Collective / © Rogue Collective / Greenpeace

During 10 years of power the Harper government has waged a war against First Nations. The government has consistently failed to consult with First Nations on resource extraction from their lands. This is both illegal and unconstitutional – driving many First Nations communities into court with the federal government.

5. Cheerleading Dangerous Pipelines

ecosocialistsvancouver.org / Via ecosocialistsvancouver.org

The Harper government has aggressively supported the development of major new pipeline projects -- and even scrapped 3000 environmental reviews on pipelines and other polluting infrastructure projects. Not only does that make the pipelines more at risk of causing a disastrous spill, but it means that climate change isn’t being taken seriously in the project assessments.

6. Muzzling Scientists

artssquared.wordpress.com / Via artssquared.wordpress.com

In 2006, the Harper government introduced strict procedures around how federal government scientists are allowed to speak about their research to the media, making it difficult for scientists to share their findings with the public. The result: scientists are muzzled on critical issues like climate change. Federal scientists have said that public health and safety and environmental sustainability have been compromised by this political interference in their work.

7. Conducting Secret Tar Sands Advocacy

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The Harper government spent several million dollars of taxpayers’ money on a tar sands advocacy fund. The government spent $30 million from the public purse over two years on public relations advertising and domestic and international ‘outreach activities’ to promote Alberta’s tar sands and cover up the climate impacts of the project.

8. Screwing up environmental assessment

imgur.com / Via imgur.com

Under legislation passed by the Harper government, the ‘Canadian Environmental Assessment Act’ no longer requires all proposed projects to undergo a hearing. The government has basically stated that the reason for this change is to make it easier to dig up fossil fuel reserves and get them to market as quickly as possible. Big surprise: the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers endorses the plan.

9. Allowing oil spills off the coast of Nova Scotia

greenpeace.org / Via greenpeace.org

Environment Minister for the Harper government Leona Aglukkaq, recently agreed to allow Shell up to 21 days to cap a blow out from an oil well off the coast of Nova Scotia, proving once again that the Harper government is happy to do the bidding of oil companies in Canada. Should a blowout occur, Shell will be permitted to haul equipment to stop the spill all the way from Norway across the Atlantic to the coast of Nova Scotia where, presumably, oil could be gushing - Deepwater Horizon style! - for up to three full weeks.

10. Winning ‘Lifetime Unachievement’ Award at Climate Talks

Christian Åslund / © Greenpeace / Christian Åslund

The special prize of ‘Lifetime Unachievement Award’ was given to Canada in 2013 to point to the Harper government’s longstanding obstruction of the UN climate talks, by blocking and stalling progress on an agreement amongst world leaders. Then Environment Minister Peter Kent responded by saying that the award was “worn with honour”.

So, remember folks...

Twitter: @RaniaMassoud / Via Twitter: @RaniaMassoud

The list of the Harper government’s crimes goes on. This election, vote for climate - not Harper! Take action now.