A Livable World is Good Theology & Good Politics

Bet you never thought you'd see a photo on one of my blogs featuring Andrew Scheer and Doug Ford. If Jason Kenney was in the same shot then you might wonder what happened to my sanity. This must have been taken before the election was called because Ford became the invisible politician for the next couple of months. The federal Regressive Conservatives deemed him toxic, although some pundits now wonder if this cost the national party votes in Ontario. 

This photo accompanies an article in the Toronto Star by By Peter Loewen, a professor at the Munk School at U of T and Michael Bernstein, executive director of Clean Prosperity with the title Poll shows climate change sunk Scheer — and could cost Ford. The premise of the piece is that polling shows that Canadians didn't like the fact that the Conservatives ignored climate change in their platform and it may have cost them the election. While Mr. Scheer seems to feel that there was a moral victory in the Conservatives registering the greatest number of votes the reality is that by far the majority of Canadians chose parties which presented climate plans.

Loewen and Bernstein quote former PC prime minister Brian Mulroney who said in September “The broad middle class in Canada will not accept indifference on this issue. Anybody who doesn’t understand that — or campaigns against it — is going to pay the price.” 

You may recall that back in 2006 Mulroney was honoured as the greenest prime minister in Canadian history. The Canada-U.S. acid rain treaty is probably the best remembered element of Mulroney's environmental record. But he also introduced an ambitious environmental agenda, created eight new national parks and brought in the Environmental Protection Act. During the Mulroney years Elizabeth May was a Senior Policy Advisor to Thomas McMillan, then Environment Minister. May was deeply involved in the negotiation of the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer.  Hey, you can be Conservative and conserve the Earth! 

I pray that political Conservatives in this country realize that it is actually good business will involve good stewardship of the resources of this country. Also, that "making life affordable" "for the people" (slogans of Scheer and Ford) will involve a broader understanding of how climate change will effect everyone, regardless of political affiliation. An unlivable world is not an affordable world for anyone.

I would also say to Mr. Scheer, who feels he is making certain decisions based on his Christian faith -- read your bible. I would be happy to share a multitude of scripture passages from both the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament which enjoin us to care for Creation. I encourage him to read them and undergo a conversion. This is sound theology and good politics.