We elect our federal government to make reasonably sound decisions on our behalf and to implement policies that reflect the wishes of the ‘we the people.”
Whether or not you happen to adhere to the political ideologies of the party in power at any given time is a relatively moot point because our elected representatives should be doing what is best for the majority of the people, not just some of the people. That is not really too much to ask of any government.
The problem is that our current federal government likes to push a lot of small things through Parliament buried deep within the bowels of omnibus bills where they get voted on and passed along with larger issues such as budgets.
Small changes to things that inevitably have major impact – especially when it comes to the environment. There appears to be a certain lack of transparency when it comes to the issue of oil and gas development and gas pipelines. Then there’s the whole question of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and labelling on the food we eat.
Who is to say definitively whether or not genetically modified food sources will prove to be a boon to mankind or ultimately unleash disaster of epic proportion.
I do not presume to understand the risk factors inherent in the genetic modification of living organisms. All I want to know is what I am actually eating when I buy my food at a local grocery store. Is that too much to ask?
It really bothers me that our government, the elected body which is supposed to not only represent the wishes of the people, but also keep them informed of what transpires in our legislature, seems to feel it can do whatever it wishes without informing or involving the citizens they serve.
Whether it’s federal government funding going to privately owned oil companies or some other issue that affects the environment, too many things are being done without our knowledge. We all have a vested interest in the environment; after all, it’s where most of us live and breathe.
In the past few years I have written about a number of changes that were made by the federal government which, upon close examination, appeared to have been designed specifically to essentially eliminate the need for any environmental assessment when it came to the construction of dams, bridges, pipelines and pretty well any other sort of invasive structures that will impact the environment. The government has typically been able to achieve this sleight of hand by re-defining a word such as “navigation” within the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) and exempting certain other words such as “minor waters” and “minor works” from the act. This sort of blatant manipulation is done by the very politicians and public officials who are supposed to be protecting the environment. Such an attitude worries me.
As the Canadian people, we look to our government to do the right thing by us. Some day, 100 years from now, the environment will likely look drastically different. We will certainly live in a world where genetic modification is both better understood and, to a greater or lesser degree, accepted. Part of me is glad that I won’t be around to worry about it and part of me is curious enough to want to see such a world.
While there is a need for a change in this current government’s attitude, I suspect the only thing that will not have changed all the much in 100 years, will be the attitude of government.
