Re:Wilks running for re-election in Kootenay-Columbia
I read with dismay in this article how MP David Wilks echoes the Conservative platform of fear with regard to ISIS and national security, yet he disregards the huge challenges that lie ahead in making substantial national progress on climate change — which scares the heck out of me.
Under Stephen Harper’s leadership, Canada committed in 2009 to relatively weak reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020; yet we are nowhere near meeting that goal mostly due to expansion of the oil sands.
The Harper government has refused to discuss national carbon pricing, continuing the weary and dismissive “job killing carbon tax” rhetoric. Instead, they prefer a “sector by sector” regulatory approach — even though Harper himself recently called the idea of regulating the oil and gas industry “crazy.”
I would ask Mr. Wilks to please consider climate change through the lens of his own words about national security: “I personally would rather err on the side of caution and ensure we do our utmost to protect Canadians than to look back and say we should have done something.”
Last November, I had a very cordial meeting with Mr. Wilks in Ottawa with fellow Citizen Climate lobbyists. At that meeting we discussed our proposal for carbon fee-and-dividend, as a means to rapidly reduce carbon emissions while growing the economy — a perfect plan for the Conservatives to endorse. He expressed interest in the idea, and even offered to bring the idea forward to the Conservative party leadership.
We thank him for taking that initiative, and look forward to a follow up meeting in the near future.
Laura Sacks
Group leader of Nelson chapter
Citizens Climate Lobby
Upper Glade
