Commonsense from Canada

Canada is beginning to oppose unreasonable 'green' policies promoted by environmental groups.

The Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, (and Greenpeace, and WWF) seem to have mutated from wildlife-friendly charities to anti-industry pressure groups, yet they still have tax-exempt status.

Most ordinary people have no idea of the change in character which their organizations have undergone. If they knew, many would cancel their subscriptions. These groups, with no expertise in economics or energy production, are influencing national energy policies and in the process, penalising industry and undermining the livelihoods of ordinary people.

They are effectively advocating de-industrialization of the West.

It is heartening, therefore, to learn that the Canadian Harper government has proposed repeal of the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act. This requires huge reductions in carbon dioxide production by industry which would have severe effects on industry and employment whilst having absolutely no effect on climate.

The Canadian government is also seeking changes to other federal laws including the Fisheries Act, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and the Species at Risk Act.

Also under scrutiny is the role of charities which engage in inappropriate political activity.

For example, Friends Of The Earth have a campaign to prevent the construction of an oil pipeline from Oklahoma through Texas to the Gulf Coast. The economic consequences of this being built, or not, are enormous.

The pipeline's future, or otherwise, should be sorted out by Government, not an unelected pressure group.

The Sierra Club, a well-known wildlife group in the USA, do not like his scrutiny of their activities. They say he is trying to steal their tax-exempt status because he supports Big Oil.

I do not have much knowledge of politics, but when a spokesman for an environmental charity starts to sound like a politician with a grudge against industry, something is seriously wrong.

Everyone with oil central heating, or who uses a car, or who uses public transport, or an airport, is a supporter of the oil industry. There is nothing wrong with 'Big Oil'. It is an essential part of our society; we could not function without paraffin, or petrol, or diesel, or plastics....it is not something to be demonised.

It seems to me that groups which exceed their remit should lose their tax-exempt status because they are abusing public trust.

habitat21, 6 Jun 12

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