Liberals Going Against Green

For a political party that seems to pride itself on being very environmentally conscious, the Liberals have recently made certain decisions that go against there key principles. The Liberals recent decision regarding the future of the energy supply in Ontario is very reflective of this (According to the Ottawa Citizen article Hampton rails against 'irresponsible' plans for more nuclear reactors).

This article displays the NDP's displeasure with the Liberals promise to "build two nuclear reactors as part of a multi-billion dollar investment to increase electrical capacity" in Ontario. The NDP has a right to feel this way due to these projects taking away from possible environmentally friendly ways in which they could increase the electrical capacity in Ontario. The NDP is also upset with these decisions because they believe them to be "show-and-tell projects rather than significant contributions to the provincial electricity supply."

This case of poor decision making should cause people to question the Liberals commitment to making Canada a more environmentally friendly nation. For a party which at one point seemed extremely committed to the green cause, and with a leader, in Stephane Dion, who is known for his beliefs in making Canada more environmentally conscious nation, this seems to be a decision that contradicts the basis on which their new platform rests upon.

I am personally a fan of Stephane Dion and his views on the environment, but this decision makes me question whether he is going back on the commitments he seemed to have once had, or if he and his party just made an ill advised decision.

Knowledge Day

The presentation I decided to attend was Marc Spooner's "The purpose of university experience: What are you doing here anyways?!" This was a very interesting presentation due to the fact that it was not a presentation at all. It was more of a discussion between Mr. Spooner and the audience. Instead of standing on the stage talking at the audience, he choose to sit near the group and engage us in the topic of why we attended university.

When asked why we attended university, typical answers emerged: to further our education and to get a better job. But Mr. Spooner pointed out to us that it is most important to further our literacy skills. We should use our literary skills to change the world. He also explained a change that had occurred in the view towards a university education; this was a change from going to university to develop and further a philosophy of life towards having a more financially comfortable life.

Mr. Spooner furthered the discussion by advising us to get involved with campus organizations. He believes that good citizens are active citizens; citizens involves in causes. He ended this discussion by stating that we should get involved with as many clubs as possible, do not just learn in the classroom.

I am extremely pleased by the discussion put forth by Mr. Spooner. It has actually affected the way I view my university experience. I was initially one of those who viewed university as a means for achieving a degree in order to get a good job. Now, while I still view university somewhat like this, I realize that I should also see university for the experience I am receiving from it.

Harper's Misplaced Faith

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government may soon be facing a great embarrassment. The trust that Harper's government placed in the country of Belgium could be proven misplaced (reported by the Leader-Post in the article Harper's federalism model on the brink of breaking up).

Harper's plan to model his idea of federalism after that which is utilized by Belgium is a clear display of his poor decision making skills. Even though Belgium had yet to prove its version of federalism as capable and proper, Harper was still content with making public his intentions to base his model after it.

It is clear that Harper does desire to give each province greater rights, or at least that was what he stated as one of his campaign promises, but to model this after the platform used in Belgium could be seen as a huge mistake. The article states that Harper's promotion of this platform was "ironic since Belgium was more prone to splitting into smaller countries than ever before." This tension was caused by the "rivalries between its Dutch- and French-speaking communities."

The Canadian provinces face a similar tension as that which plagues Belgium. With the constant threats of seperation coming out of Quebec, combined with growing tensions between other provinces, it would not be surprising if Canada were to face a similar confrontation. While it is unlikely that Canada would face something as severe as that in Belgium, that does not mean it could not happen on a smaller scale.

Stephen Harper's blind faith in Belgium's unproven model of federalism is a move that should make many question his skills as the Prime Minister of Canada.