Looks like Ambrose took the bullet for the team. The MSM definitely painted her as a lame duck minister and nothing she could do would change that (in their eyes). Forget the fact that she had to address 13 years of inaction and Lieberal broken promises in less than a year.

More importantly,over at AGWN,delicious headline.."lib insiders badmouthing Belinda!!"Oh it is a Happy New Year!

This is a much more suitable portfolio for Ambrose, as she could probably rock the house with both hands tied behind her back, given her intergovernmental affairs experience. Did anyone see the photos of her reading the oath? She looked so happy.

It's too bad there wasn't any room for Diane Ablonczy, though -- again.

Lets hope that the next E-Minister can stand up to the GW mass hysteria without feeling compelled to ratchet-up the Kyotoesque insanity!

My money is on the insanity!

Harper'shuffle accompanied his statements of renewed focus on the economy, democratic reform and........drumroll..................the envirnonment. With a fresh helping of references to "climate change".

Agree or disagree with the last point, Harper may have neutralized the issue politically. Dion can't be happy someone else is playing with his ball.

Maybe Toews took a hit for the Wheat Board bonus cock-up?

Ambrose was moved off of the Environment because she was close to incompetent. She bungled facts, looked awful in avoiding committee questions, etc. She was appointed to the post because Harper didn't think much of the environment; now he realizes it might be an election issue and he needs a heavy hitter with more proven competence.

Other choices also reflect the election considerations directed a lot of the changes, like dumping the controversial Vic "let's jail pre-teens" Toews from justice. He was a lightening rod that would have worked against increasing seats so he's off to softer grounds.

Ted

Mitch, I think you're way off on this. Harper is very obviously playing catch-up on the environment, having been caught with his proverbial pants down. He is forced now to pretend that he sees climate change as a huge issue. He will have to come out with something that makes the previously tabled Clean Air Act look laughably inadequate. But he's not governing by polls, make no mistake.

Does anyone else think that if it were "Ronald" instead of "Rona", the post-shuffle cabinet would look different by at least one member?

so much for the smaller Cabinet. Good grief.

Why would the justice minister get hit for something the wheat board did? It's under strahl's jurisdiction.

And David, I agree. There was no need to increase the cabinet by five. Hill, I can understand, Kenney, I can sort of understand, the other three, nuh uh.

Crabgrass,

well that would be the Liberal spin.

Funny how literally doing nothing under the Libs, recieved no media attention - apparantly a few hollow statements and hypocritcal finger waving at the Americans was sufficient,

while enacting the most comprehensive (no its not perfect) environment legislation in Canadian history,

recieves the full scorn of the media and environmentalists.

Toews was only controversial to the lefty criminal lovers in the Libs and NDP.

That one was a bit of a surprise. Ambrose was in over her head. Granted, the media was unrelenting in trying to take her down and many years of talk only on the file.
enough

How does one become a believable Minister Against the Boogeyman? Or competent for that matter? Do you tell people, 'yes, we're actively fighting the boogeyman with this, this, and this,', or do you tell people 'there's no such thing as a boogeyman' and then get attacked by the believers?

Sorry, since there are no witches to hunt, I am making no progress on the Witch Hunt Accord. In fact, I think the WHA is based on lies/deception/junk science/political manipulation, so our gov't won't follow WHA targets, even though the previous government ratified the Witch Hunt Accord.

"She's a witch! Burn her!"

"No don't burn her, that'll create global warming!"

Stupid shrieking enviro-fascists.

Mitch, I wouldn't suggest that the Liberals have done anything particularly meaningful thus far, to be honest. But I do think Dion making it a priority together with recent attention paid to the issue (due in part to the majority of Canadians not having yet experienced much in the way of winter this time around, and the Ellesmere island ice story) have in fact forced Harper's hand. I feel badly for Ambrose - she was put in a tough spot, and compounded it by not quite doing her homework on a couple of occasions.

related but off-topic: I'm afraid I'm going mudboarding this weekend at Lake Placid. I would cancel the trip to the slopes altogether, but friends (and their kids) are there already, anticipating the weekend getaway.

I would disagree that the Clean Air Act received the full scorn of the media, but it certainly did from environmentalists. The media for the most part attacks whomever is in power. I understand that I may see a smattering of dissent having suggested that here.

" The media for the most part attacks whomever is in power . " Bwahahahahahahaha !!!! Please tell me you typed that with a straight face .

"The media for the most part attacks whomever is in power."

Yep, and I'm a scantily clad black woman on a hip-hop video.

Not unrelated, I hear there's lovely ocean front property for sale in Saskatchewan.

crabgrass - Dion only made the environment a 'hot item' because it's a 'hot air' item that one can use to incite people emotionally, grab their votes and yet, in actual action, achieve nothing. That's what the Liberals did with Kyoto.

They signed a corrupt accord, an accord that had nothing to do with the environment but was instead, a blatant money transference scheme. Instead of using our tax dollars to actually reduce pollution and emissions, the Liberals were going to transfer this money to 'developing nations' who are exempt from Kyoto obligations. So much for the environment. That's the Liberal record.

Dion grabbed it - and remember, he was the Liberal Environment Minister for Kyoto - just as a vote-catcher. He's not interested in the environment. Or anything else for that matter. He has only one agenda. Winning. Power. For the Liberals.

As for the warm weather in central-east Canada, we've had this before. I recall a warm January about ten years ago; even warmer than now. We 'paid' for it with heavy February snow. And you are ignoring the current heavy snow in the prairies and BC.

Environmentalists, the kind who scorned the Clean Air Act, are by and large, pretty ignorant urbanites who've taken on The Environment as their new utopian/apocalpytic fetish. This type includes the MSM.

"lightening"

Teddy, I bet Rona could spell lightning...

Re Toews and the Wheat Board ... Bill Toews is a CWB director and Vic Toews was Minister of Justice!

Poor Ambrose, the media really crucified her. (I'm not trying to make a religious reference it's just the best way to describe it.) I think she is very smart and was doing the best she could in the circumstances... but she wasn't tough enough to handle the barrage of criticism from the opposition, the MSM and lobby groups. It was a mistake to give her the environment post in the first place, her strength is Intergovernmental Affairs.

That said, I'm not suggesting Ambrose isn't tough at all (she's a woman in politics and a cabinet minister, you don’t get that high up without having thick skin) but she never had a good comeback in the House of Commons (granted I could barely hear her over the heckling), or a counter attack in front of the reporters. She took all that criticism and didn’t fight back. The way they attacked her was vicious and sexist. It was painful to watch. If only the media paid the same attention to liberal “hairdresser” comments as they did to Peter Mackay’s “dog”. For whatever reason the MSM decided they hate her and after that she didn’t have a chance.

Anyway, I hope Rona Ambrose is very happy as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.

I like Baird in Environment. It doesn't matter what the Tories do on the environment because it will be declared inadequate by the Liberals and no emissions data will be available by election time to support either side. That means the file will become nothing but smearjobs and nobody does a drive-by smear like JB. We shouldn't have to wait too long to see another Dion temper tantrum.

Dion's press conference (paraphrasing, but unbelievable):

Dion attacks Harper viciously,

Media asks Dion about Harper's statements about 13 years of inaction

Dion: Harper shouldn't politicise the issue, and Harper's mean spirirted.

I may have heard some chuckles on that one from the press.

Another question of Dion on the Liberal record:

"we'll deliver", something about they delivered on the economy back in '93?????

Another question on the same point,

Dion then talks about why we're so low - he's making excuses:

"we've had a strong economy and an oil boom" suggesting its understandeable.

Uhhhm, why does Dion want this to be a primary issue again, aside from blind Liberal arrogance that is?

Thanks for your input, ET – From some of your past comments I’m familiar with your take on Kyoto.

I disagree with you on Dion. I guess one of us is wrong.

I’m not ignoring the heavy snow in the prairies and BC. I have no idea how you draw that conclusion. Heavy snow isn’t usually associated with very cold temperatures anyway – the colder the air, the lesser its ability to carry moisture.
The MSM no doubt includes some environmentalists, but environmentalists certainly do not wholly include the MSM.

Watch for that 'verbal blip' of calling Harper 'mean-spirited'. I think we're going to hear that quite a bit now. Ignatieff used it and Dion is using it. I think it's an ad hominem, false as ad hominems are, in place of 'hidden agenda'.

The 'hidden agenda' sneer is getting rather thin at the moment, because Harper's agenda isn't hidden but clear. So, they are going for 'mean-spirited' which is as fog-ridden, unfeasible and evasive of proof as 'hidden agenda'. But it sounds mean and nasty.

The reason Dion wants the environment as a prime issue is because it is: fog-ridden, unfeasible and evasive of proof. And emotional, for it's easy to use to appeal to both the utopians and paranoid apocalyptic types alike. Nothing gets votes like that type of emotionalism. And you don't have to actually do anything; you can always blame lack of results on 'good things', like a 'booming economy'.

Harper's statements of the Liberal 13 years of inaction are not 'politicizing'. They are a statement of fact. And how fascinating. Dion is thereby showing us that he's not interested in facts. He's only interested in The Spin that can be put on things.

Dion The Spinner of cobwebs, Fogs the Mind.

So what are the odds that the Conservatives will adopt the Kyoto Accord? Don't be surprised if they do, otherwise they may not win the next election.

ET, one might accuse you of Liberal Use of Caps.

Iberia, they said during the last election that it was unworkable and STILL won. What would be so different this time.

Go back to sleep now.

"So what are the odds that the Conservatives will adopt the Kyoto Accord? Don't be surprised if they do, otherwise they may not win the next election."

Close to zero. Conservatives will make reference to proceeding towards our Kyoto target. That will be good enough for anybody who would even think of voting for them.

The real question everyone should be asking is that if the Liberals win the election will they live up to the full commitment of the Kyoto Accord which involves buying billions of dollars worth of foreign credits to cover our shortfall or will they use the excuse that Harper's time in power prevented them from reaching our target and renege. Harper would be the dumbest person on the planet if he doesn't ask Dion something along that line in the debates.

"What would be so different this time."

It's a big issue this time.

It's a big issue this time.

And it wasn't during the election that was only one year ago.

Please.........

What does the Calgary Sun know that SDA doesn't. It has a poll- Do you think the federal election this month will produce a majority or minority government. I wonder if they left out a couple of words, --think if a--and was held.
There has to be at least 30 days for an election. When did January get 35 days. The poll re John Baird seems to have disappeared.

Iberia - I would be very disappointed if the Conservatives adopted the Kyoto Accord. After all, it has nothing to do with the environment; it's a money laundering scheme, taking from the developed countries to the 'developing' countries.

Nothing to do with the environment. If you want to help other countries, you can do it by loans or other means. Not by graft and extortion.

If you are serious about the environment then, you most certainly don't adopt Kyoto, for it actually harms the env't. It doesn't stop pollution. And it doesn't stop carbon emissions. In fact, globally, it increases both. Why do you support Kyoto?

Stephen Taylor is breaking that Wajid Khan will cross to the Conservatives tomorrow. No cabinet or parliamentary secretary position offered. He usually comes up right, so we'll see tomorrow.

http://www.stephentaylor.ca/archives/000764.html

Billions? If only it were billions. Think TRILLIONS funneled overseas to countries, many of which, coincidentally, seem to hate the West.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if Mr. Khan does cross the floor, will that not mean that all of Canada's Muslim members of parliament will be in the Conservative Party?

ET:

You aren't making any sense. The "Conservatives" don't adopt or refuse to adopt "Kyoto". Canada has already signed onto it. The Conservatives

The Conservatives have done a great Chretien-dance around the issue of Kyoto protocol and targets:

- saying the targets are extremely expensive to achieve without saying unachievable

- saying the targets are unfair to Canada without rejecting the principles of the Kyoto accord

- saying that reaching the targets would put at us a competitive disadvantage to the US and China and India etc without saying they will formally withdraw from Kyoto

No wonder the position was too much for Ambrose to handle!

What do you get when you mix a economically conservative policy wonk with a political-to-the-bone tactician bent on power?

Jean Harper lives! A veritable frankenreformaservativeral!

Ted
Cerberus

p.s. And for those focusing on global warming, the Ministry of the Environment deals with a heck of a lot more. Ambrose was fumbling the whole file not just this one. This one was just more out there in the public eye.

Ted said, "Jean Harper lives! A veritable frankenreformaservativeral!"

ROTFLMAO!

Vitruvius,

Omar Alghabra is still a Liberal. But since he's my MP, I won't mind if he crosses too.

I think the rather loud Mr Baird will definately give the media more talking points as he embarrases the Libs on their enviro record in question period.this will probably take some of the initiative away from Steffi [who missed the vote]

Iberia - don't dither. You know perfectly well that 'adoption' means 'put into practice', regardless of what the Liberals signed. I certainly hope the CPC doesn't put Kyoto 'into practice' - which means funnelling millions of dollars over to 'developing countries' who will set up polluting and emitting factories. That means that the overall global pollution and emissions will increase.

Again, why do you support Kyoto?

Ted, Rona did more on the file in 10 months than the Liberals did in 13 years.

Far more than DIon, who's Green Plan is worth than a farce. Dion did name his dog Kyoto, so that should get him some CBC brownie points.

Your boy DIon is a dud. And I don't say that because he lied/skated his way around his French citizenship. He's just another ivory tower academic with out any real life experience who just knows since he is smarter than us that he can tell us what to do.

"Dudley Dion" I like that one.

The Environment File IS Kyoto. The rest is fluffy stuff.

Ted,Conservatives have said the targets are unattainable,as has Dion.(page 299 Wells book right side up).

They have said the Kyoto accord was unfair to Canada,mainly because Chretiens biggest worry was topping the Americans on targets.They have also said that buying credits from say,China,does nothing to improve our ghg emmissions here.

They have also said because the Liberals signed onto the accord they are bound by it,but make no qualms about pointing out how useless it is.

If the Kyoto accord had the worlds biggest polluters and biggest growing producers put on it,then it would deserve more credence.

Baird can take the heat and flame the opposition at the same time. Since Dion has foolishly chosen the environment as his number one issue. Given the Liberals and Dion's abject and horrible failure, the Conservatives need a tough guy to hammer that home. The Liberals have no crediblity on the issue.

The argument has to shift from ambiguous climate change to the untold Kyoto story, in order to position Dion as the new corrupt leader representing the same old corrupt party. At the same time the Conservatives must offer a real, workable solution.

French citizen Dion is being marginalized and all he has left is vacuous emotional sound bites to grasp at like, "mean-spirited." Facts, experience and results are not on his side. Neither is the English language. Likeability is something that doesn't come natural either, you can see him squirm as he attempts to put it on.

The latest poll has the Conservatives at 34% and the Libs at 31%. It's being called a dead heat. Yet the poll prior had the Libs at 35% and the Conservatives at 32% and of course, it was said the Liberals were leading. Yes, there is a built in bs bias.

ET:

I don't support support the Kyoto Accord. I agree with you that it's just an elaborate money laundering scheme. I just think that Harper is going to pull a Chretien.

Crabgrass, the winter-like conditions that they are experiencing in BC are not "normal" for BC in January either however how can we say what is "normal" based on 30 or even 100 years of climatic data? Those time frames are but a miniscule portion of a blip in the life of the earth! No human can tell what is "normal" for the earth - we will forever lack the experience. We had the coldest November on record in the prairies this year but just because something is record-breaking doesn't mean that it hasn't happened before. We don't know but I'm willing to bet that it has happened before and that it will happen again because the earth is so old that there has to have been many times where these kinds of conditions occurred. What I'm saying is that when people say "on record" I'd like to add the fact that "the record" is really very very small.

BAird is partisan and more than willing to bring up the Liberal record. Rona is not one for that type of hand to hand combat. Intergovernmental makes more sense, more academic, more arcane and more suited to her experience and personality.

Environment is just to partisan now....baird will suit up and do battle with whatever platform they put forward. Just hope he keeps it toned down a little or he will come across badly. Dont rise to the bait Mr Baird.

Yes the meme of mean spirited is the replacement for scarey....he isnt scarey anymore, or angry, people know him....so he is mean...just like Mike Harris etc etc

Hard to make that stick to someone who is calm, the next stop will be cold and unfeeling.

The peak of the last ice age advance was about 18,000 years ago.

Since then there have probably been 15,000 years/times when a new record has been set for warming.

Its a good thing too, because when the warming stops, the ice advance starts.

Just think of Toronto under 3 miles of ice . . . kinda pretty isn't it :)

That's something about Stephen Taylor scooping MSM about Khan! I want to see Warren Kinsella eat his words.

CBC, 'air farce' did that this past w/e...'Harper is cold and unfeeling'
Kinsella is good for a laugh right now( wonder when he'll guest on air farts?)...'left-leaning' cabinet...??? and Harper isn't who we (cons)think he is...desperate!
No Warren...that would be the Libs who are surprised...

I'd have considered forgiving Harper for the Income Trust flip-flop if he'd given Flaherty the boot. Oh well, maybe next time.

Khan helped bust the Toronto terror plot last summer. He is a stand-up man, and, as far as there is such a thing, a moderate Muslim. If he's an Ismaili (considered apostolic by mainstream Islam) like Jaffer, this makes a lot of sense. No connections to radicalism like Alghabra. He's a successful car dealer who is somewhat famous in Toronto for his humourous radio commercials on Fan590, the all-sports radio station. This is as big a pickup as there can be for the Conservatives, and good for the country too, as he can be an example of someone who wants to integrate rather than overturn.

Speaking of Khan, I can't find a single mention of the word "Liberal" on his website. Has it always been like this?

Ted said "Canada has already signed onto it."

Ted, perhaps you could remind everyone here what the Liberals did in how many years since Canada "signed" onto it.

Reading the CP story I'm struck by this quote.....

"The big story of the day was the environment, and the place of importance it has taken in the Canadian psyche since the last election."

Yeah right, that's all we talk about at work these days, how the environment is uppermost in our psyches.

Dumbass reporter.

There's been more conversation in the last three days about where I got the Bunnies calendar than the environment in the last year.

and here is cbcpravdas take on it.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/04/dion-shuffle.html

no mention of 13 years of dithering

Ahhhhhhh, what a great day to be a Conservative!

Khan is a good pick-up. Is it an indicator of the softness on the LP's right - especially now that the left-side is ascendant? and he's from Mr and Mrs auga the key battleground of Ontario.

Baird will hold the mirror up to the LP on the environment file and hopefully do some more near-term things like actually starting the clean-up of the Sydney Tar-ponds. Global climate change (man-made or not) has become a much more top-of-mind issue since the last election, perhaps filling in the vacuum left by adscam/accountability. I doubt its ability to be a deciding factor in the polling booth, especially if the CP shows that it "cares".

Toews has been moved because he's not running next time around - he has introduced a ton of important changes that will look very good on the CP's CV in the next election especially in suburban canada (and particularly in the Lower mainland of BC - read heavy punishment for grow-op operators). Crime and Punishment, unlike the environment, IS a motivator in the polling booth and - even more than in the last election - the CP owns that issue.

Sad to hear that diane findlay (sp?) is still having health problems - she's a very capable person, but Monte will excell as he always does.

It is annoying that some of the MSM are pointing out that the percent of female ministers has decreased. What happened to appointing someone based on merit?

What a great post/comment Tom, worth repeating imo.

"How does one become a believable Minister Against the Boogeyman? Or competent for that matter? Do you tell people, 'yes, we're actively fighting the boogeyman with this, this, and this,', or do you tell people 'there's no such thing as a boogeyman' and then get attacked by the believers?

Sorry, since there are no witches to hunt, I am making no progress on the Witch Hunt Accord. In fact, I think the WHA is based on lies/deception/junk science/political manipulation, so our gov't won't follow WHA targets, even though the previous government ratified the Witch Hunt Accord."

"She's a witch! Burn her!"

"No don't burn her, that'll create global warming!"

"Stupid shrieking enviro-fascists."
Posted by: tom at January 4, 2007 02:16 PM

Rona is over the moon at getting the Intergovernmental Affairs and Prez. of Privy Council,
hardly a step down or a vote of non confidence.

This will play to her strong suit where she should shine. The MSM hammering Rona took by the media was simply the fact that the journalists were "Pavlov Dog's" conditioned to spout the Kyoto line. Not an ounce of critical thinking as to how those targets were to be achieved.

"Intergovernmental Affairs" will get some better play than the former moniker of "Intergovernmental Affairs" known as Belinda Stronach. Nope there is no "Rona Around Ambrose" here! At least this gal has got moxy and brains.

Robert Nicholson gets the Justice Portfolio. If I remember correctly he is an experienced hand and was on the Beaudoin-Edwards Committee on Amending the Constitution back in the early nineties. Tough minded but fair was my general impression back then.

Jack's newswatch does not do Christian-dancing 'round. Jack is naming Citoyen Dion; L'imbecile.
...-

“The prime minister gives the direction,” Dion said, adding Harper’s environmental policy has been “an embarrassment to Canada.”

“Therefore, the minister of the environment wasn’t able to succeed.”

[…]
"Note: This from the man who is touted as Harper’s “intellectual equal”. What can I possibly say?"
...-

Fred said: "Just think of Toronto under 3 miles of ice . . . kinda pretty isn't it :)"

After splitting a gut on that one I composed myself and gave it some serious thought. I came to the conclusion that I would most certainly be willing to tolerate a new Ice Age if it meant I could see Toronto under 3 miles of ice.

I think NCF TO meant that most Muslims consider Ismailis to be apostate, not apostolic.

(Picking at nits, I know, but nits make lice:)

Speaking of environmental change, Jack's Newswatch has a post and link that states that the atmosphere on Mars is, like that of Earth, also warming. Both planet warmings are happening at the same time.

To my knowledge, there are no humans on Mars; therefore, the causes of climate change/warming on Mars are natural. Possibly solar flares. Same with that on Earth.

Can someone explain to me how one molecule of carbon dioxide will be reduced by buying credits? Dion says (actually believes?) that this credit scheme will be profitable for all and good for the economy. That's right, when government gets involved in business, everybody makes money. NOT!!

Government has a poor record of picking winners in the economy, but losers have a great record of picking government. The losers will be lined up.

Sorry, socialist professor types rarely know anything about business. WRT Kyoto, I'm still waiting for answers to these questions:

- if human activity is responsible for warming, why has most warming taken place this century before 1950?

- carbon dioxide represents only 5% of ghg's, and human activity only 3% of that (ie .15%), how does our "loading" cause warming?

- what does Kyoto compliance and implementation mean in real terms - jobs, output, reduction in warming?

If someone would actually answer those questions in an intelligent manner, instead of attacking the questioner, maybe I wouldn't be so suspicious.

We need a made in Canada solution, where we develop bridge and hybrid technologies, which we can share with the developing world, so they don't modernize as dirty as we did. Do this instead of buying credits.

BTW - carbon dioxide is not the same as carbon monoxide, get it? Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, regardless of government fiat; it is a naturally occuring gas that plants breath. Isn't the pollution designation a backdoor way of forcing our hand, something like the polar bear scare (even though their population is rising, they will decline because we think the earth and their environment is going to warm). What ever happened to proving a hypothesis. Consensus is not the same as scientific proof.

Oh, how sweet! Somewhere, deep in the bowels of the LPC brain (physically, the other way 'round), a worm of doubt has arisen that they've been snookered on the environment.
Classic move. If not originally intended, the Ambrose/Baird sucker punch was a tactical phantom that hardened as a "naive and innocent Rona" exposed the previous Liberal inaction on the environment, got the Liberals to radicalize their policy well before a potential election, and set them up for a real brass-knuckle brawl.

The made-in-Canada policy will undergo some "adjustments", to further humiliate the LPC. Health care ads - children with asthma; fish dying in harbours*. The next election is going to be interesting.

*Halifax Harbour, one of the best deepwater, ice-free ports in the world, continues to be polluted by over 181,000,000 litres per day of untreated water, both sanitary and storm wastewater.
http://www.halifax.ca/harboursol/WhatistheHarbourSolutionsProject.html

ET said:

"To my knowledge, there are no humans on Mars; therefore, the causes of climate change/warming on Mars are natural. Possibly solar flares. Same with that on Earth."

Precisely ET! This would make it interesting to study other planets for polar cap retracement where there are similar atmospheric gas elements.

One of the reasons I brought up the solar flare issue in a previous thread some time ago.

If similar retracements are evident then maybe it is not all human activity after all.

Cheers

There is a petition in circulation at the Oregon Institute of Science with (http://www.oism.org/pproject/s33p37.htm) over 17,000 Scientists signatures that states:"There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth."
In comparison Al Gore found 4 out of 100 Scientist approached willing to endorse his movie. A show of hands or winning a popularity contest is not science no matter how hard the self righteous lefties scream.

I'd rather see Wajid Khan declare himself an independent conservative (like Garth Turner) and simply agree to vote with the Tories on budgets rather than immediately joining the backbench(less political flak). Then he can run for the Tories in Mississauga come election time.

I have read that Canada only produces 3% of global pollution, so if we reduce to 0% by banning all industry, cars, heating of building etc. there would still be 97% pollution produced. How will this have any effect on the melting glaciers (poor polar bears)? Why do we not hear more about how futile Canada's contribution toward climate change control will be? Why do we have to pay Saudi Arabia in Kyoto (billions) credits (the world's riches country)? I am not convinced about global warming. 50 years ago in elementary school I was taught that the Vikings grew grapes in Vineland (Newfoundland) and I understand that grapes don't grow there now. So in 1000 years the average temperature has gotten colder.

This Cabinet shuffle was probably triggered by Environmental issues, but not really an unusual thing for a Prime minister to do.
It takes a period of time to get the right people placed in the right Portfolios to maximize their strengths to better serve the Country.

If any Government is serious about Environmental issues a good place to start would be to stop the flow of raw sewage/sh** into the Atlantic in Halifax and also in Montreal. Disgusting.

It's great news to hear Wajid Khan is about to join the Conservatives. Smart move, smart man.

Off topic but did Belinda change her tresses back to blond? Perhaps she was getting mistaken for Rona with her raven tresses.

Does anyone remember the holes in the ozone layer years ago? The heat of the earth was escaping an we were headed to a mini ice age. Now,we seem to have fixed that problem but we are getting too damn hot. So let's open up the hole a bit until everyone is comfortable.We can have a world-wide thermostat. Of course there will be always arguments just like at home,but I think it might work.I can just hear someone yelling"Damn it Achmed,if you are too hot take off the turban,"

The whole environmental scenario has moved into the realm of fiction, a global soap opera at least in the West, with almost daily installments, new events, new traumas, crises, affairs of the heart.

It's High Noon only in the West. Asia and the Middle East don't give a damn about 'global warming' - except to accept all the money given to them as Guilt Payments For Causing Global Warming by the West. Heh. Are we suckers or aren't we?

It's highly emotional, addictive, heart-wrenching. If only, if only we were Good People, then, the Earth Wouldn't Warm Up...

It's incredible how the human mind/mindless whatever, moves into these hypnotic situations. How do we manage to move ourselves into these apocalyptic crises, again and again? At one time it was nuclear war, at another it was a new ice age, now, it's 'global warming'.

We write books about Imminent Doom, we set up TV shows about Really Imminent Doom, we fund conference after conference - all attesting to Imminent Doom. This mass hysteria takes over; the politicans must slither along with it...until...eventually the hysteria dies down. Reason returns for a brief spell. And we are off into another apocalyptic hysteria.

I wonder what the next one will be?

Agree with you, Cal, about our contribution to global warming. It is very small. Our changing things here at home will have minimal impact globally. What we really need to concentrate on are environmental toxins.

This zinger from the CTV web site:

"The size of cabinet has increased from 27 to 32 positions, with a smaller percentage of women on the team."

I tried to use my slide rule but couldn't tell the difference. Went back to using a calculator to determine that the percentage change in women went from 6/27=22.22% to 7/32=21.88%. So rounding, that would be a change from 22% to 22%.

Clearly this is a big news story and should have dominated the day's events.

Looking at Norm Spector's screenshot of today's Toronto Star I think it's fair to say that the Red Star has no sources within SH's inner sanctom.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/nspector4/

Oops, sorry got that wrong, I thought it was jim Prentice who was "MR. fit-it"

Tenebris:

Out here in BC, the city of Victoria and its suburbs pump 138 million litres per day into the Georgia Strait, BUT...it's all UNtreated sewage.
Former Liberal Minister of the Environment David Anderson, wheneever the issue arose, said it was not a problem because "the current was fast". Speaking as a boat owner who plies those waters on occasion, let me attest to the fact that their SH@@ DOES stink....

"How do we manage to move ourselves into these apocalyptic crises, again and again? At one time it was nuclear war, at another it was a new ice age, now, it's 'global warming'."

ET: You neglected to mention the Y2K crisis (eeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkk..the sky is falling).

Kyoto is just another fart in a windstorm...

ET said "I wonder what the next one will be?"

I'm betting super virus. I like the Robot Chicken episode that shows newspaper headlines after an asteroid is set to destroy Earth, with one of them stating "We wasted our lives!" Say Bitter Environmentalists

I still want to know what happened to the threat of acid rain. Was that one solved or did we just move on?

I'm puzzled about something.

I think everyone realizes that the US is not going to sign on to the Kyoto Treaty. When I say that Kyoto has no cache in the US, I mean there's a real good chance that we would go to the metric system and start speaking Esperanto before we would sign Kyoto.

Among the few people in the US who have heard of Kyoto, the majority of them think you're talking about some large bear in Alaska. So when I say Kyoto is meaningless down here, I mean that it is utterly meaningless.

Even if someone could prove (and they can't) that temperatures would actually be a degree warmer a hundred years from now, the US would not start trying to dislocate whole industries, put millions of people out of work, cut off the means of sustenance to families, in order to rescue this world from that guilty degree.

If you're talking about trying to diminish pollution, that's another subject. Our record is pretty good on that, and we're working to do better.

Since Kyoto ain't even going to make the papers in the US, then what good is it going to do Canada to try to put itself under those stringent requirements? If the US, with 300 million polluters, ain't gonna play, then what is the point of Canada bothering to mess with it anyway? It would only hurt your oil and other important industries. What's the point?

The fact that the US has a very good record on pollution reduction and that property rights are very strong there as well is not simply coincidence. Protection of property and of property holders is the underpinning of much the legislation down there.

Mississauga Matt - I think that the program against acid rain began in about 1985, and has reduced this problem by about 65%. The problem is particularly relevant in Eastern Canada because the soil/rocks is a type that can't neutralize acidity.

Acid rain was not comparable to the current Global Warming, which is a situation of Really Imminent Doom (RID). The reason it is different is because it was/is very specific. The causes of acid rain were specifically known; the solutions were specifically known. It was a neat 'Do This and That Will Happen'. It was understandable and controllable.

Global Warming is completely different. We don't have the data to know if humans or solar flares or whatever are causing climate change. Therefore, this lack of data is being transformed into an emotional hysteria of personal guilt. We, evil people that we are, unsaved and unsavoury, are the source of all evil. We are the cause of The End of The World...etc, etc.

And the fascinating aspect of this most recent RID (Really Imminent Doom) crisis, is that the solution proposed by the UN is a scam. A total scam. It won't do a thing to stop global warming - if we assume that it's caused by humans and CO2 emissions. The reason it won't do a thing is because the benchmarks are unreachable, the 'fines' are not a requirement to change the industrial infrastructure - but - are a money laundering tactic of handing over millions to other countries. Who are exempt from Kyoto. Who will set up factories that will emit CO2 and other pollutants.

So- Kyoto is actually INCREASING CO2 emissions. The Evil Country can't use the Fine to restructure its industries to lessen emissions. The Good Countries can use that money to build industries that are exempt from Kyoto. Globally, emissions increase.

Globally, money is handed over by the Evil Capitalist Countries to the Good Undemocratic Countries. I call that a scam. Kofi Annan calls it 'Perfection'. I call us idiots to fall for this scam.

Next Global Catastrophe --> Obesity

Just saw Baird on CTV confirm that global warming is real and that the science "is overwhelming." And he has already phoned David Suzuki!

Time to get the claque on message, Kate.

Welcome the brand new year ! The two most important issues facing us all seem to be related . On one hand we face islamic - jihad , on the other eco - jihad . Islamic -jihad is a threat from external forces that seek to TAKE what we in the west hold dear . Eco - jihad , on the other hand , is the exact opposite ( we Give it away ) . Funny how the left seem to be on the wrong side of both problems .

Kyoto is dead. Baird will pander to the bludgeoning eco-nuts until real winter hits and the hysteria wears off. I wouldn't be worried unless he starts proposing carbon taxes.

Calm down agitfact; don't get agitated. No-one disputes global warming. The real issues are causality. Causality. Causality.

Is this change in the climate a natural phenomenon, caused by solar flares or whatever? Is this change cyclical; that is, does the earth go through cycles of warming and cooling? After all, at one time Greenland was, well, it was green. And now it's not. Why?

Or is it caused, solely and only, by Evil Men Who Pollute? The facts are, Mars is currently warming up as well. Now, are there humans on Mars who are causing the Martian MeltDown? Well?

So, the dispute is over causes.
If you blame Evil Capitalists, then, Kyoto isn't your answer.

But, currently, the leftist West has wrapped itself in a mass hysteria, a phenomenon known also as 'moral panic' - which sees whole populations suddenly lose whatever limited reasoning capacity they had, and transform into total mindless idiots. So, they move into a moral state of panic, defining themselves as Evil, and as Agents of Imminent Doom because of that Evilness. Notice how the causality has moved out of any chance of empirical proof and located itself firmly within the psyche of the West, its capitalist industrialist Evil Soul.

How does one treat such a public? Gently. Kind of a 'there, there' pat-on-the-back. You can't reason with someone in a state of mindless moral panic. You just have to soothe them over it.

Off topic, but seeing as you've been following the Jamil Hussein story Kate, I thought you might want to link to the E&P story on how the Iraqi Ministery that denied he exists, suddenly decided that he does:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003528028

So...uhm... wondering how, with likely 99% of the "blogging tories" being complete climate change/global warming skeptics, like their government, how will you all react now that, for reasons of pure political expediency, your government states that the science in support of global warming and man's impact thereon is "overwhelming"?

Will you have a collective immediate change of heart on the issue and abandon your principles immediately, or will it take a few months, like it did your leaders?

This should be fun!

ET,

I it difficult to predict what the next RID (or the new name of some frenchman's dog) will be now that scientists have shown that they are more than willing whores.

You got to admit as far as scams go, Kyoto is a pretty good one. Fools have bought the shoddy science, it's long-term, it involves a lot of money, no accountability, etc.,etc. This year El Niño didn't help the hurricane scare, but it's paying dividends now.

watchingyou2: "... with likely 99%"

They just can't help themselves with the making up stats.

Unlike yourself, watchingyou2, I don't believe everything (or in some cases anything) that some politician, some lawyer or some reporter says. Also, unlike you, I don't look to them to find out what I think.

"As for the warm weather in central-east Canada, we've had this before. I recall a warm January about ten years ago; even warmer than now. We 'paid' for it with heavy February snow. And you are ignoring the current heavy snow in the prairies and BC."

I heard a govt climatologist today say that in effect "global warming" wasn't all that big a deal. Apparently in the dirty 30's the record high (for the world) was set in Saskatchewan.

In addition my 90 year old MIL said today that this global warming stuff is "bullshiT" She's seen in all before.(I guess a lot of things re-occur in 80 years)

Horny Toad

Fritz

As I ponder my waning years I wonder what stories or family legends I might pass on to my sons.

My father told me of boyhood life on the praries during the "dirty thirties"...The drought.

I suppose the best I can do is the "snowy seventies"....sniff...sniff.

So what does the next generation have to say?...Ohhh right the obesity epidemic.

Pecan pie and double chocolate chip cookies everywhere...it was horrible.

I gotta go...the delivery dude is here.....hhhhmmmmm....cheese.

Syncro

someone mentioned Greenland earlier. It has greened up there some, they have been able to grow a crop of barley last year.

Agree with an earlier post, Baird will "pander" to get their attention. The facts with the proof, you know, like, "a proof is a proof and if it's a good proof it's been proven" kind of proof, will be presented. The people will have the right information, not some Lefty gloom and doom crap we've been fed for the past decade.
It's going to be proven to be the great Hoax of the 21st century.
If you concentrate enough people in one area, like Toronto and other large cities you'll get smog, controlling emissions makes sense.
Chretien signed on to Kyoto, he had no plan in over a decade to implement it. The Conservative Government has not unsigned it, so what are the Liberal green experts yapping about? They did squat, more specifically Dion did squat as Environment Minister.

So now that the environment is the #1 issue, (Says who?) we now must vote for the party that will make the biggest promises to affect planetary climate patterns.
Are that many voters that crazy?
Let's all vote for the party that promises to change the value of pi to 3. Geometry will be so much easier...
Tilting at windmills doesn't effect the windmill, it just gives you a sore neck.
Anyone who genuinely wishes to implement Kyoto is an enviro-retard. Sheesh.

What's interesting I think is that this could be a really really huge winner for Harper. By taking climate change and environmental problems seriously, he will be able to convince a lot of middle class families that he really is a moderate, that he does actually consider public concerns and isn't a simple ideologue. It goes a huge way in shaking off the last remnants of the radical Reformer that still has many many people concerned if not scared about giving Harper a majority. A lot of people will say: hey, if he's willing to take on his own base on such an important file, maybe he is more of a pragmatist than I was led to believe.

Another interesting thing for environmentalists to consider is a curious phenomenon in politics about politicians playing against type. In order to convince anyone non-partisans and even left partisans that he is serious about the environment, Harper will probably have to pony up and produce some substance (he hasn't so far) and make real tangible, quantifiable changes in the environment. Whereas Liberals and Dippers get a bit of a light treatment because it is assumed that they mean what they say on the environment when they make a priority out of type, and therefore don't need to do as much (in the short to medium term) to keep the general public happy, the Conservatives will have to go further just to show they are genuine. In the process, I think they may actually do something historic.

It's like finances. When conservatives say they will be fiscally responsible, it is assumed they mean it for some reason, and so they can get away with not living up to their own ideals (eg. the fiscal disaster that Canada was in after the last PC federal government and the last Ontario PC government, and the US now). The Republicans have only recently been starting to get some truly significant bad hits on their support because of butchering the US finances. Whereas Liberals and Democrats, assumed to be tax and spenders, need to actually be more restrained and produce more results just to play against type and get over the negative assumptions. Thus, Clinton, Martin and Chretien went much further away from their natural base in cuts and fiscal rebalancing just to prove themselves. They accomplished something historic: an incredible run of balanced budgets and surpluses.

Playing against type on important issues can produce historic results... and bigger governments!

Ted

Winter started Dec 21/06. Give it a chance to do its thing. Remember the stories that the Tsumami knocked the earth off its axis by a degree or more. If that is true, that would affect the weather around the world. I can't believe all the panic from the envirowackos. Baird will do a great job in getting the facts out re the liberals non action for 13 years, and the fact Dion also won the award for worst preformance. Did you read that in the msm, like you did when Rona got it. I think Harper had Rona in that position for a reason, she did her job, and now Baird will finish it, and the liberals. Wonder if dion will issue any more ultimatiums to his caucus. The last one backfired on him. Are there more out there. At least Kwan told his constituency office of his decision before doing it. More than bs did.

It's amazing how quickly people forget what the temperature was for the Vanier Cup.

After we get the climate change problem reversed, I suggest we tackle the far greater threat known as "short memories".

"To my knowledge, there are no humans on Mars; therefore, the causes of climate change/warming on Mars are natural. Possibly solar flares. Same with that on Earth." - ET

Not according to Al Gore, he said, "We are altering the balance of energy between our planet and the rest of the Universe."

Al Gore knows what he's talking about. Afterall, he has a movie about it.

The U.S. climate center the NOAA has a comparative climate data calculator that will show trends. If one compares the past 10 years to the past 110 years it will show a cooling trend for North America. The NOAA is a rabid global warming advocate but their own data betrays them. There are always anomalies is weather but overall the trends are relatively normal. Kate is bang on when she says that selective memory is a huge problem. Where are all the hurricanes that were predicted for this year.
Climate change is not new religion it is a cult with followers almost a wacky and potentialy as self destructive as the Waco nut bars. These nut jobs will be willing to screw up economies for no real gain because the Hail-Bob comet told them to commit economic suicide. I just hope Harper doesn't go to far with his new environmental program.

Ambrose was just a sacrificial lamb. She's young, with a long political career ahead of her and was willing to make the personal sacrifice of taking on the impossible job of placating the envionuts. She'll retire with a long portfolio and be remembered as a good trooper for the CPC, whatever she does from now.

Ted - interesting, thoughtful comments

ET - good job again. It is hard to argue your point that Kyoto compliance will actually increase CO2 emissions.

Watchingyou2 - have to admit I didn't see Baird's comments, so I'm not sure of perspective. Maybe he's saying that he believes we are warming. It doesn't necessarily follow that CO2 is the culprit, especially given that methane and water vapour are far more prevalent GHGs.

Bottom line - we need to look at this issue realistically. Even if CO2 theory is bunk, some of the elements of reducing emissions are still a good idea. Why? Because CO proliferation is the far more serious problem. Think of the problems we had with pollution, acid rain, dead lakes and so on. We have cleaned those up. We have an opportunity to develop clean (non-burning?) technologies, that we can share (notice I didn't say sell) with the developing world. Otherwise, the problems we faced in the 70s and 80s will be dwarfed by what India and China alone will face.

If we are going to spend $billions/trillions on environment, let's get an actual benefit, rather than the pie in the sky, corrupt money laundering scheme that is Kyoto

I truly can't understand why people support the Kyoto accord/scam. I can understand why people are concerned about global warming; I don't remember this many January days above 50 degrees in Toronto in my 50 years on the planet. But let's look at the possibilities:

First, is global warming man-made? The debate is still open. The many different models presented by the anthropogenic-climate change crowd have many flaws (and I say this as an engineer and data analyst, where I'm paid to question raw numbers and drill down to reality). Jeremy Siegel, a much quoted professor, has written http://finance.(yahoo.com/columnist/article/futureinvest/11579) that every 10 ppm increase in CO2 atmosphere concentration results in a 10 metre (that's 33 feet) increase in sea levels. But CO2 ppm has increased by 100 since 1900, so by his reckoning, we should see sea level 100 metres above 1900 levels. If sea levels were 330 feet above 1900 levels, most of the eastern seaboard of the US would be underwater, along with huge parts of the rest of world.

But what's the reality? In fact, average sea level has increased by 3 cm, or little more than an inch. Now, when I see a theory that says we should see an increase of 10,000 cm, but instead see an experience of 3, I feel inclined to distrust the theory, especially when it has 100 years to work. I know there are some who will say "these effects take years to work their way through the global environment" but the first 10 ppm occurred from 1900-1910. If, in 100 years, we are only seeing 0.3% of the predicted effect, I have to wonder if the science is correct.

So the science is not proven. What harm, you might ask, is it to reduce CO2 emissions on the off-chance that it might help the planet? And if the Kyoto deal was that all countries were committed to reduce emissions, I might support it. But when that deal/scam allows China to build 250 new coal fired electric plants that will produce more CO2 emissions than Canada does at a whole, and do so with no economic penalty, but Canada has to pay a penalty just for keeping emissions at current levels, well, I just have to say "no deal".

I agree the earth is warming; I'm skeptical that it's man-made; and I'm adamantly opposed to a "solution" that allows China to increase its emissions to where they are more than Canada's scot-free while penalizing Canadians if our emissions don't decrease.

PS If the Wajid Khan story is correct, and he helps the Tories win a new mandate, all GTA residents will be greatful for not having to listen to his commercials.

hey tex:
"Looks like Ambrose took the bullet for the team. The MSM definitely painted her as a lame duck minister "

if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck .....

rona in the political cartoon recycle blue box. priceless.

"frankenreformaservativeral!"

HA HA HA HA HA !!!!!! this is why I read blogs for gems like this !!!

Rona Ambrose told us the truth, and gets turfed for it.
We need to think of the REAL accomplishments in 10 short months.
Seems to me that Canadians want more blather and bullshit rather than truth and action.
If Baird goes for the man - caused global warming nonsense we will all be the worse off for it.
And it will be the last time i ever vote.

The ultimate in a pandered to and entitled populace,(some) Canadians think their government can change the weather.

I heard a radio interview yesterday - The fellow actually said, "my gawd, the icebergs are falling off Ellesmere Island- what is going to happen next if we dont do something?"

The MSM has won this one for now, fortunately for us their attention span is only as long as the next headline. Maybe by the time Mr. Baird slows this legislation down Ontario will have a nice -30 spell and will think we have reduced greenhouse gases too far.

I tried to use my slide rule but couldn't tell the difference. Went back to using a calculator to determine that the percentage change in women went from 6/27=22.22% to 7/32=21.88%. So rounding, that would be a change from 22% to 22%.

Since you have so much free time, why not take up dating?